I’m baaaaack and it feels *so* good!

You see, in July my family left Shanghai after 9 crazy and amazing years. We’ve traded a city life full of rats, cockroaches, and honking horns for a bit more country, full of snakes, spiders, and even larger cockroaches. It’s a new kind of adventure; one that more resembles being closer to nature like we were as kids. It was something we wanted to give our growing boys, green grass (and bats, yes a bat was in our apartment yesterday).

Aside from the adventures in insects and more, there have also been adventures in eating. Southern China presents itself with all kinds of new flavors and textures (so many noodz!), and I have loved exploring them. Culinary influences come from Hong Kong with dim sum being everywhere, along with hot pot from Sichuan as well as Hunan’s tongue tingling flavors being found everywhere as well.

I will be busy testing out some of these new flavors to share with you here, but for now, I want to share something that combines one of my favorite childhood flavors, ranch flavor, with one of my favorite adult foods, tofu and coconut. I found a great local market just down the street that makes tofu fresh on the spot, and all kinds of tofu too! One of the kinds soaks up flavors and browns beautifully, making it both juicy and crispy. I’m a little bit obsessed with it. It comes sliced up just how it is in the photo. If you can’t find something like this, you can also buy the puffed tofu cubes and slice them up. Not sure what the heck I am talking about? Check out what they look like in this recipe.

This recipe can be baked or pan cooked. I opted for baking because I was making Broccoli, Rice n’ Cheddar Cheeze Bake that I will be sharing with you soon, and goes with this dish perfectly.

These lil’ strips can be added to salad, rice, pasta, and even burritos for a tasty flavor boost that’s super satisfying too!