LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2021

VITAL VEGGIES

MUSHROOM & TOFU LARB

Larb, a popular street food in Thailand and the unofficial national dish of Laos, is usually made with ground pork or chicken. This vegetarian version uses two kinds of mushrooms for flavour and juiciness, and tofu for added heft. Roasted rice powder adds a wonderful nuttiness and can be purchased at Asian grocery stores. If you can’t find it, the dish will still be delicious without it. 1 block (340 g) extra-firm tofu ⁄ cup (80 mL) canola oil, divided 7 oz (200 g) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, cut into bite-sized pieces 9 oz (255 g) portobello mushroom caps, cut into ⁄ -inch (1 cm) dice 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped garlic 1 ⁄ tsp (7 mL) chili flakes 3 tbsp (45 mL) strained fresh lime juice 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetarian fish sauce (if you’re not vegetarian, use regular fish sauce) 2 tsp (10 mL) palm or light brown sugar ⁄ cup (125 mL) thinly sliced shallot 1 tbsp (15 mL) roasted rice powder ⁄ cup (60 mL) sliced green onion ⁄ cup (80 mL) small or torn mint leaves, plus more for serving Steamed Thai sticky rice, lettuce cups, Thai basil and culantro (or cilantro) for serving 1 Crumble tofu onto a paper- towel-lined plate and blot well to dry. Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil in a wok or large heavy-duty frying pan on high heat. Working with half of the tofu at a time, fry for 3 minutes or until golden. Scrape onto a plate and set aside. Re- peat with another 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil and remaining tofu. Set aside.

3 Combine lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Pour over mush- room mixture in pan, along with shallot, and toss together until everything is flavourful. Add rice powder and toss to combine. Remove from heat and sprinkle with green onion and mint. Serve larb with rice, lettuce cups, mint, Thai basil and culantro.

2 Add 2 tbsp (30 mL) oil to pan, add shiitake mushrooms and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender and lightly golden. Remove from pan. Add remaining 1 ⁄ tbsp (20 mL) oil and portobellos, and fry for 2 minutes longer. Add garlic and chili flakes to pan and stir-fry for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add reserved cooked mushrooms and tofu to pan and toss together.

WHAT TO SERVE

The spicy pear flavours and exotic fruit notes in this wine will harmo- nize with the Asian elements of this dish. A hint of upfront sweetness

tames the chili heat. Sandbanks Riesling- Gewürztraminer VQA LCBO 459982, $15.95

Serves 4

84

HOLIDAY 2021 FOOD & DRINK