Lijit Ad Tag

May 3, 2012

YTF: Unplugged









No relation whatsoever with WTF .... and I don't mean the World Tennis Federation. Go figure it out for yourself .... or ask any teenager what WTF stands for. I'm too prim and proper (ahem) to say it out here.

YTF, as in Yong Tau Foo, our local get-your-hands-on-any-vege-and-stuff-it-with-some-fish-or-meat-paste type dish. In my case, I left it unstuffed or according to the title, unplugged. Instead, I've used the minced meat in the gravy.
The traditional YTF is usually stuffed with fish paste .... I can't see myself eating this with a fish-type sauce and meatarians we are in this household. I've used minced pork here, but you can always substitute it with minced chicken.

This is so not the typical YTF. This is my spur of the moment version, my what-else-can-I-add-to-this version. The I'm-too-tired-but-I-gotta-eat version. It worked out quite well altho I think I'd add more mince to it next time. Even the pic is "spur of the moment", taken with my mobile phone, still trying to figure out how to use its camera to its full potential.

Just in case you're wondering what's on the platter ... besides the little bowl of gravy.
From left to right: eggplant, firm tofu (tub tofu, yes TUB, not tube, tofu), ladies fingers, tofu puffs and fresh chilly.



INGREDIENTS

These are the usual stuff (pun intended) for YTF but feel free to add whatever suits your fancy:

eggplant, sliced
firm tofu, cut into wedges or thick slices
ladies fingers, whole
fresh whole chillies, seeded (or leave them unseeded if you're feeling sadistic)
puffed tofu
bitter gourd, seeded and sliced
long beans (this one's just blanched in stock)
... have I left anything out?

For the gravy: (you'll need to adjust your amounts depending on how much of the YTF condiments you have)

1 cup minced meat
1/2 cup water
2 tsp sugar
2 tbs miso
1 tbs oyster sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tbs balsamic vinegar
chopped scallions

cornflour + water, to thicken



METHOD

Singe the veges and tofu on a lightly oiled pan until lightly browned.
Leave aside while you prepare the gravy.

Stir fry the chopped garlic in a little oil.
Add the minced meat and stir fry until browned and cooked.
Add in water, miso, oyster sauce, stir to mix well.
Taste to see if you need to add all 2 tsp of sugar.
Stir in the balsamic vinegar.
Bring to a boil and add in enough of the cornflour and water solution to thicken to gravy-like consistency.

Sprinkle with chopped scallions and serve.







38 comments:

  1. No need to ask the young people. This old lady also know WTF means. Not that I use it but I am up to date ahem! Coming back to your YTF, sounds good, looks. Why not for a change? I am so glad to see you take a break from worrying about your Dad and write this post. I enjoy reading about YTF but I will not say WTF to you even you are not making the traditional version. Hehehe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahahaha!! You are really a very up to date lady ... old? Never! Yeah, I'm more relaxed altho checking in on dad daily. Things seem to be looking good. Slowly getting back into the swing of things :) Thank you!

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Me too! Easy and nice ... I've made this with other variations too!

      Delete
  3. I have had a good laugh! I love to see you in good mood and at your best in writing :-) YTF sounds excellent! I love every single ingredient and the combination of all of them together (I even love your choice of pork rather than beef or something else). I would probably make the error of stir-frying all this together, so I am very grateful for your inspiring much more interesting presentation and solution.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sissi! Yup, definitely everyone's in a lighter mood. As I was telling QPC, things are looking up :)
      I think pork is the way to go here, it has that natural sweetness that adds and compliments ... chicken seems kind of bland and the other red meats ... well, doesn't seem right. I hope you enjoy this if you do try it out. It's tweakable :)

      Delete
  4. I only love YTF when it comes with chee cheong fun and the sauce. dun think i've had meat paste stuffed chee cheong fun. I think i'll love your unplugged version.
    so glad to see you up & cooking. When I am on emotional roller coaster, i lose my appetite and mood for food. blah.. dun like that when food taste like cardboard :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Shannon. I do occasionally like the chee cheong fun too at the shops, but at home, I don't bother with it.
      Yeah, I know what you mean, losing your appetite at downtimes. Don't even know what I'm eating sometimes :( It sure helps my diet tho :D

      Delete
  5. 1-2-3-4-5,wow, you made 5 varieties of YTF, very hardworking wow considering that you were tired! I only made 2 varieties & the 2 most fav types in my family! I don't mind to exchange with you, hehehe!

    ReplyDelete
  6. 5 varieties, but remember, they're unstuffed. The stuffing is the part where it takes up the most time and work. Good idea .... exchange is no robbery :D

    ReplyDelete
  7. So I actually had to ask my 14-year-old what WTF means - how sad is that? ;-). I don't care what initials you ascribe to this food, it's my kind of eating...Love all the chunky, naked bites ready for dipping. Your gravy sounds amazing - love the flavours you've got going on there - might even try it without the minced meat given the protein from the tofu. Delish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahahahaha!!! Oh goodness! I hope you weren't shocked by this Aunty Ping's language! Haha, "Naked" bites ... I love that term. Forget dipping ... I like drowning them with gravy. This gravy has a mild flavor so you might want to add more of the seasonings if making it as a dip. Enjoy!

      Delete
  8. I spot my favorite YTF... brinjal!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, yeah! Mine too! ... next to tofu! :)

      Delete
  9. I also spot my favourite YTF, lady finger, hehehe.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Ping, you YTF look delicious and lovely presentation too.I spotted my favorite ...green chillies. hehehe
    I like the gravy, very tempting.

    Have a nice weekend,regards.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Amelia, for the lovely compliments. You have a great weekend too!

      Delete
  11. lol, "WTF" - something I must utter at least 40x every single day when dealing with my wonderful colleagues!!

    This looks delicious Ping - I must ask... what is, or rather *how* does one make "puffed" tofu? It sounds excellent!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL!! Your office sounds nice and boisterous. Must be a fun place to work :D

      We normally just buy the puffed tofu from the markets, it's just not worth making coz it's expensive to make and also the texture isn't quite the same (a little more dense). But if you're interested, here's a link to an interesting experiment ...
      http://dizzymaiden.tumblr.com/search/tofu+puffs

      Delete
  12. Too funny...I've never heard of YTF before...but with 3 big kids, I've heard of WTF :) Thanks for educating me...this unstuffed quickie version sure is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nice twist to the regular YTF, they look awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Ping-It's nice to see you posting, again; not sure that I'm familiar with the YTF, but your YTF platter looks beautiful, appetizing, and very creative selection of goodies. I too love the green chili peppers. Also the tofu. Very nice presentation!
    As for the WTF...LOL, I do know that one; so I'm not that far behind:DDD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's nice to be back. Thank you, Elisabeth.

      Delete
  15. Congrats on TOP 9. Well done for still figuring out how to use the camera on your handphone. Imagine when you do know how to use it properly? Not bad, Aunty Lucy. LOL!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lucy! I can't figure it out ... still! Sigh. I think it's too "grainy". I was pleasantly surprised it actually made top 9 :D

      Delete
  16. It is nice to see you back, and this looks amazing! Congrats on making the top 9! The photos look spectacular, makes it look so tempting for sure. And you always make me smile! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lyndsey! It's nice to see you and everyone again! And thank you! Glad I made your day happy :)

      Delete
  17. congrats on making it to foodbuzz top 9! what a creative idea of making a minced meat sauce alongside. Mind me, i too having difficulty taking photos from my phone..actually it's not the phone problem, it's me..i 'm always so slow trying to figure out which key to click and so on but still your photo looks great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lena. Thank you and thanks for coming by. Haha! Looks like you and me both have to have some lessons in mobile photo taking. Think I prefer the camera.

      Delete
  18. Congratulations, Ping!
    YTF looks mouthwatering, esp. those tofu chunks!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Angie! Tofu's got to be my favorite here ... oh, wait, eggplant, oh maybe the chilly ... I like them all!

      Delete
  19. Hey Congratulations on your top 9! Looking forward to more from the kitchen of Ping.
    Kristy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Kristy! Thanks for coming by as well.

      Delete
  20. I can see why this made top 9. What a fun and tasty dish. I love those that can be altered to fit what is in the fridge and pantry!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kristen. Yeah, this is super flexible ... always a great go-to dish. Not too heavy either.

      Delete