Thursday, October 13, 2011

THE DARING COOKS' OCTOBER 2011 CHALLENGE: MOO SHU

First of all, I'd like to say I'm so glad to have participated in this month's Daring Cooks' challenge because Shelley and Ruth are two of my favorite bloggers...I always read their posts and comment on their blogs. And secondly, I love anything Eastern/Asian because I am Asian..duh. So I knew that I couldn't and shouldn't miss this for anything in the world!
The October Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.
Hmm, interesting challenge...but what exactly is Moo Shu? According to our hosts...
Simply put, Moo Shu is a stir fry, containing thinly sliced or shredded vegetables, meat (traditionally) and scrambled egg. It is usually served on flat, thin, steamed pancakes, and is accompanied by a complementary sauce.
I decided to make Moo Shu Tofu as filling for my thin pancakes but I wasn't able to make my own Hoisin sauce so I just used the store-bought variety.
TOFU STIRFRY
Ingredients:

2 blocks TOFU, sliced

Handful Mung Bean Sprouts

1 cup Fresh Bamboo Shoots, boiled and strained

2 pieces Eggs


Spring Onions, sliced


1 tablespoon Soy Sauce


a few drops Sesame Oil


Black Pepper, ground


Directions:

Preheat pan with oil, pan-fry sliced tofu until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, set aside. On same pan, saute spring onions until fragrant, add bean sprouts, bamboo shoots. Add beaten eggs and stir fry with the vegetables. Season with soy sauce, ground black pepper and a few drops of sesame oil to finish. Top with tofu. Use as filling for pancakes.
THIN PANCAKES
Makes 24-30 pancakes
Preparation time: about 10 minutes plus 30 minutes standing time
Cooking time: 45-50 minutes
Ingredients
4 cups (960 ml)(560 gr) ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
About 1 1/2 cup (300 ml) BOILING WATER
1 teaspoon (5 ml) VEGETABLE OIL
DRY FLOUR for dusting
1. Sift flour into mixing bowl. Gently pour in the water, stirring as you pour, then stir in the oil. Knead the mixture into a soft but firm dough. If your dough is dry, add more water, one tablespoon at a time, to reach the right consistency. Cover with a damp towel and let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Lightly dust the surface of the worktop with dry flour. Knead dough for 6-8 minutes or until smooth, then divide into 3 equal portions. Roll out each portion into a long sausage and cut each sausage into 8-10 pieces. Keep the dough that you are not actively working with covered with a lightly damp dishcloth to keep from drying out.
3. Roll each piece into a ball, then using the palm of your hand, press each piece into a flat pancake. Dust the worktop with more dry flour. Flatten each pancake into a 6-8 inch (15cm-20cm) circle with a rolling pin, rolling gently on both sides.
4. Place an ungreased frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat to low and place the pancakes one at a time, in the pan. Remove when light brown spots appear on the underside. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.
To assemble: Lay the pancake and spread a bit of Hoisin. Top with the Tofu Stirfry, roll the pancake, tucking in the bottom to prevent filling from spilling. Enjoy!
Thank you Shelley and Ruth for this month's wonderful challenge! I had so much fun making the pancakes and filling and eating them as well!
For the other Daring Cooks Moo Shu click here.







21 comments:

shelley c. said...

You are wonderful and so sweet. Your Moo Shu is beautiful - it looks so delicious and your photos are stunning. I am honored that you cooked with us this month!!

Ruth H. said...

Your moo shu looks fabulous. I love seeing your creations every month, and I am honored that you enjoyed our challenge. We'll have to get together for a moo shu tofu party!!

Renata said...

I'm so looking forward to trying the tofu version of moo shu!
Your final presentation looks so amazingly delicious!
Thanks for your (always) lovely comment :)

Simones Kitchen said...

Your moo shu looks gorgeous! Great shots too. I like the idea of using tofu in them too instead of pork. Will keep that in mind for when I want to make a vegetarian option!

4pure by Andrea said...

Tofu in Moo Shu, love the change in recipe. It looks great.

Kitchen Belleicious said...

I love when it is time for these challenges because I always like to see what you are going to do next! This is amazing- great job!

The Garlic Press said...

As always, your food looks tasty and delicious! Nice job!

blepharisma said...

Yummy! Clearly your rolling skills are better than mine - I couldn't have wrapped mine all the way like you did! Great job!

Anonymous said...

Your Moo Shu is amazing. I haven't cooked with tofu, but would really like to someday. Thanks for sharing!

Suz said...

Your photos are always such a treat to look at, and I love how thin and delicate your pancakes are - absolutely perfect. Hmm, I shouldn't be reading this hungry. My stomach just rumbled! It looks so tasty!

Jenni said...

Great job! Your moo shu looks awesome! Your pancakes are so thin!

Monkeyshines in the Kitchen said...

Oooh! Your pancakes are so thin! I am impressed! The whole dish, of course, looks fantastic. Great job!

Anonymous said...

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Lisa said...

I love your tofu take on Moo Shu, and your photos are stunning!! Weird thing..started to get into tofu a bit for the first time this past year. Last night I ordered some soup with tofu in it, and thhe tofu tasted weird, by itself..as the flavors in the soup were great. I won't let this deter me from tofu again, but what a bummer! lol

Andy said...

Your pancakes look wonderful!

MyMacaroniPie said...

Beautifully thin pancakes (envious!). Gorgeous photos as well. Looks like you had a delicious feast!

Oggi said...

The pancakes are perfect and I love the addition of tofu.

Mary said...

Your moo shu looks great--I love the little folded packets!
:)

Wok with Ray said...

Love Moo Shu especially Moo Shu pork covered with hoisin, yumm! Your photo is making me hungry!

Manuela said...

Such a great rendition for this month's challenge! Well done! :-)

Dudut said...

i love moo shu! this is such a colorful dish!

galing!