Moon, 厚揚げときゅうりのサラダ Tofu and Cucumber Salad

日本語のレシピは　ビーガン、ベジタリアン情報満載の　Hachidoryから　ご覧下さい。
The morning moon of 2016Aug20
Do you have any occasions to look up in the sky at night or early morning to look for the moon ?
If you do, I wonder if you have noticed that the position of the moon vary depending on its shapes ?
For example, if you look up at the southern sky at 7 p.m. and found the half-moon there one day, and thought you want to see the full moon on the day of full moon.  You look up at the southern sky at the same time, 7 p.m. on the day of full moon, you will not see the moon at the same position as you did fourteen days ago.    You need to look up at the eastern sky not the southern sky. This is the 17th moon, you can see it is not totally full.
That means; If you want to see the moon in the same direction every day, you need to change the time to see it.  Or if you want to see the moon at the same time every day, you need to look for the moon in different direction.
If you are not interested in the moon, such a fact may not be the matter for you, however it is not bad to look up in the sky, getting away from the digital devices, spending a calm cozy moment by just watching the moon, once a while. The full moon of 2017 Jul 9
After finishing my dinner, I like to sit on the bench and look up in the sky indulging myself in the darkness with the sound of insects.   Sometimes with the half-moon and the stars above, sometimes without the moon but with the stars, sometimes without the moon or stars. 
Even without moon nor stars, the sky looks different each day.
The next full moon is 2025 Oct 7 , and the previous day is called “Chushu no Meigetsu / 中秋の“名月”. It is said the rabbit is pounding the steamed glutinous  rice  on the moon in Japan. Can you recognize the rabbit ?   To me she looks standing upside down.
It is the day to thank the harvests to the moon, and it used to be a very cozy and quiet event in Japan when I was small. I used to love this event, and the scene of this day is embedded in me as a fond memory of my childhood with my family. The silver grass and glutinous rice balls are offered to the moon.
Harvests such as these fruits, nuts and vegetables are also offered.
Pumpkin Balls for this occasion
Will you look up in the sky and look for a full moon on this date? I bet you’ll feel good. Calmness and peacefulness will creep into your mind and make you feel happy.


I shall introduce the recipe for this month now. It is still hot like mid-summer here, so I am sharing a salad recipe again as we can make it quickly without using any heat. It is quite a filling kind of salad since the main ingredient is protein rich tofu, and the dressing is made with creamy rich peanuts.
If you are a Singaporean, Malaysian or Indonesian, you may find that this is like “Tofu Goreng”.
Yes, I got the idea from Tofu Goreng, and develop into my style using the Japanese ingredients.
Here you go !

Tofu and Cucumber Salad / Atsuage to Kyuri no Sarada 厚揚げときゅうりのサラダ

Ingredients Cucumber Atsuage tofu / deep fried tofu  Substitution → firm tofu
For dressing 50g peanut paste or peanut butter 2 Tbsp unrefined sugar 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp plum vinegar Substitution → 1 umeboshi chopped to paste or 1 Tbsp vinegar mixed with 1/2 tsp salt or 1 Tbsp tamarind juice   1/4~1 tsp chili paste or broad bean paste

Procedure
Cook Atsuage tofu / deep fried tofu in boiling water. Take out and cool down. 

Slice Atsuage into thin strips. Slice cucumber into thin strips. 

Mix Atsuage and cucumber gently and put on the plate.

Combine all the ingredients for dressing.


Pour dressing over the salad.







Happy Cooking！