37. Chinese spring onion and tofu salad

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It actually should be called super quick fix, it is a liang cai dish, no need to fry, stir fry... nothing. :)

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Paris has been so beautiful, but we have not been very lucky with the weather, only on our way back, the sun started shining out, and the weather got warmer, like the forecast predicted for yesterday. :( And we were caught in the peak time traffic, the underground was unbearable, crowed - people all had to stand next to each other closely, I could feel my body had been ‘squeezed’ -- I wished I had a shell protecting my flesh. ha… But probably deep, deep down, at the bottom of my heart, I enjoyed and loved this moment even at the same time I complained a little bit, it all reminded me when I was in China crowed with millions people. :)) Walking in the busy street or getting on the bus at the busiest time of the day, the shoulders rubbing shoulders, back 'knocking' back -- it cannot be more 'real' to feel the physical existence of self, I liked that feeling, especially after staying in the studio painting for a few days.

--- Now, I miss it.

The metro in Paris at that time went very slowly, sometimes it had to stop for a while, and the light went off. The conductor announced that everyone should be patient, just a few seconds. But those a few seconds, as if the time stayed still, I could not helping thinking how people passed by on the 'over' ground. The smell of the bodies' sweat mixed with some people’s perfume started spreading in the air. I almost smelt the ‘flesh’ and the body temperature. ---- I was dying to have some fresh water, (I could not even be able to move my hand and lift up my arm to reach and drink some water from the bottle, which i was carrying in the hand -- there was no space for this luxury movement), and really wanted to eat something fresh -- fresh from just the field, no hot oil, no meat… The freshness that I could smell, that I could see, that I could dive in...

But it is sad to leave Paris -- too beautiful to say goodbye, to leave all the fresh market in the street, and to sad to see the paintings of Monet’s garden eventually out of sight …… I did not know if I wish to take them all back with me, or more to leave myself with them....

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A Chinese salad with tofu and spring onion

I was not very satisfied with my tofu dish yesterday in the restaurant, too much thick sauce, although it was not fried, but it masked the freshness and the original taste of the tofu --- so I am dying for … this tofu salad dish -- to cool down the heat I gathered in the heavy traffic, the sadness for leaving Paris, and my desire for tofu. :))

This is a very typical tofu dish in Northern China , especially for the summer days. There is a saying for it, ‘spring onion mixes with tofu -- one ‘blue’ two white’.
Blue colour in traditional Chinese refers to green colour, It is particularly common when describing landscapes and traditional Chinese ink paintings. This saying is a metaphor for something that is very clear, without ambiguity. So you can imagine this dish is just a simple combination of the two things, there is no colour mixing, but you can taste it. :)

The recipe: Chinese tofu and spring onion liang cai

The only essential ingredients are tofu, spring onion and salt, all the rest are optional -- super easy ?!

Ingredients

Fresh tofu, (medium firm is the best)

Spring onion, (mainly the green part), salt, (essential)

Sesame oil, vegetable/mushroom/chicken essence (optional), light soy sauce, chilli oil (only if you like spicy)

Preparation

1) Chop tofu into small cubes, around 2cm square each side.

2) Chop 2 spring onions, only the green leaves part into small pieces.

3) Mix everything together in a salad plate, and add in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 big spoon of sesame oil, 1/2 vegetable/mushroom/chicken essence, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, if you like chilli, 2 teaspoon of chilli oil.

---- Mix everything together, then serve!!

Super quick fix, no? :)) --- for a hot summer day! Good to go with rice, or bing, or beer-- of your wish!