Nine years ago, I was snowed in on my birthday.
Literally snowed in, as in we couldn’t budge open the front door.
I had just moved to Boston, and I was living in a cozy apartment along the Charles River. Across the hall lived one of my best friends, GP, who, obviously, was snowed in, too. We missed sunny Manila; we still weren’t used to the freezing cold, the blasting winds, the two feet of snow that look so romantic but actually felt fiercely chilling.
Later in the day, the snow let up, the streets were partly cleared, and we could actually venture outside. But by then we have embraced our snowed in state, and we decided to stay in and order Chinese food instead. Our friend Rico was there with us. He, too, was still not used to winter. So the three of us stayed inside together, celebrated my birthday, and had a small Chinese feast. It warmed us up and made our small apartments feel more like home.
I don’t remember much of what we ordered – we probably ordered duck (we always get roast duck), and some sort of fried rice – but I do remember trying my first taste of Salt and Pepper Spareribs.
I was so intrigued by the name – is it really just spareribs seasoned with salt and pepper? Isn’t that kind of boring? Why just use salt and pepper when you can liven up dishes with chili flakes and garlic and soy sauce?
Little did I know that those Salt and Pepper dishes at Chinese restaurants would eventually become my favorites. Salt and Pepper Tofu has become a regular order.
Yes, it really is just a protein (spareribs, pork chops, chicken, fish, shrimp, tofu) seasoned with salt and pepper then fried. And as it is, it is very good. It’s true that sometimes the simplest things taste the best.
But then the tofu it is tossed with a savory mix of spices and greens, and it is elevated to something special.
1 block extra firm tofu
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 celery rib (or 1/2 cup, chopped)
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 small shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
recipe adapted from Veggie Belly
PS – Want to help me celebrate my birthday this year? Come join me as I host Mystery Meet next week! You can still buy tickets online for the January 15th dinner.