In the Kitchen: Meet Jane
One of the most asked questions in this country must be: how long have you lived here in the UAE? And sometimes you get an answer that wows you. That’s what happened when we met one of our long-term customers, Jane Duguid, at her home in The Lakes, Dubai.
Read what Jane has to say, and check out the amazing Chinese Black Pepper Tofu recipe she shares.
Jane Duguid is from New Zealand, and she has lived in the UAE for 36 years. “I’ve grown up together with this country. There have been many changes but they’ve all happened so gradually that everything has just felt natural”, says Jane.
Jane lives with her husband and their 18-year old daughter. She first started ordering from Hello Chef a bit more than two years ago, when one of her friends introduced her to the service.
For Jane, cooking from the box instantly felt like the perfect weeknight meal solution.
“First, I ordered the Low-Carb box. Then, at some point, my daughter wanted to experiment with veganism, and we switched to the Vegan box”, says Jane.
Nowadays Jane has more choice than before with the new Classic Box, but she still chooses mostly vegan, with an occasional fish or vegetarian dish.
“The whole family is part-time vegan. I couldn’t be a full-timer – I love cheese, butter, cream and bacon too much”, Jane laughs. “But I think it’s okay as long as we eat healthy vegan meals on weeknights.”
Jane actually feels that way about her whole Hello Chef experience: when she has already cooked four good meals during the week, the whole family can take it easy on the weekends.
One of Jane’s favourite Hello Chef dishes is Huevos Rancheros with Avocado. Her husband loves everything with roasted vegetables, and her daughter prefers the pasta recipes.
“I love having that vast variety. Otherwise, I would just cook the same few things over and over again! I don’t think Hello Chef even realizes the service they provide”, Jane says.
Jane has recommended the service to many of her friends. She also regularly invites friends over to cook together and share the generous meals.
When Jane has dinner guests on weekends, she often cooks her speciality, the Chinese Black Pepper Tofu.
“My friends keep asking for it!”
Of course, we needed to get the recipe as well – and share it. Jane’s Black Pepper Tofu is amazing: crispy, exciting, indulgent and deliciously spicy. Have a read and a try!
Black Pepper Tofu
Serves 2–3
Cooking time 30 min
Ingredients:
800 g firm tofu
corn starch, for dusting the tofu
oil, for frying
Sauce:
6 shallots
6 garlic cloves
35 g ginger
2 red chillis, large
5 spring onions
50 g butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp sweet soy sauce
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
2,5 Tbsp coarsely crushed black pepper
Method:
Cut tofu to cubes. Roll the cubes in corn starch.
Heat a generous amount of oil in a pan and fry the coated tofu cubes for a long time, 10–15 minutes, turning occasionally, until very crispy and golden brown.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the tofu cubes to a plate covered with kitchen paper. Discard the oil.
Peel and slice shallots. Peel and mince garlic. Peel and grate ginger. Discard chilli stems (and seeds) and mince chillis. Chop spring onions.
Melt butter on a pan over low heat. Add shallots, garlic, ginger, chilli and spring onion (separate some of the chilli and spring onion for garnishing).
Let the ingredients cook on low heat on a pan for about 10 minutes until very soft.
Add sugar, soy sauces and the generous amount of crushed black pepper. Heat up. Finally, add the crispy tofu and mix well. Garnish with the remaining chilli and spring onion, and serve as is, or with cooked jasmine rice.
