Asian Style Barley Pilaf

Nothing makes a woman realize the consequences of the gluttony she committed during the recent festivities like a pair of tight-fitting jeans.  You know, those pair of jeans with zippers that glided smoothly when you zipped them up or down prior to December of the previous year.  Then comes January and all of sudden, that zipper on those same pair of jeans experiences a bumpy ride as it travels up and down.  The zipper simply does not glide as smoothly as it  did just a few months ago.  As much as  I  she would like to think that she's experiencing a wardrobe malfunction (it's Superbowl season, I'm allowed to borrow that term) or think it's simply because of defective zippers, that bumpy ride is a storage of leftover gluttony in the form of fat.

So, to redeem myself from committing one of the seven deadly sins, wholesome and leaner foods are the order of the day.  Here's a vegetarian barley pilaf  dish half-inspired by Thai fried rice with lashings of searing, red bird's eye chilies interspersed with sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), anise-like flavored Thai basil leaves and meaty tofu slices with steamed bok choy.

I don't know about you, but there is something about chilies  that make me feel lighter afterwards.  After experiencing a numbed and inflamed tongue, beads of perspiration  starting  from my temples, trickling behind my ears and travelling down the length of my neck and a runny nose that can defy one suffering from the common cold, I'm inclined to think that a self-inflicted, tortuous experience zaps away a little bit of excess fat at least.  Of course, this is all just a psychological feeling with no scientific evidence to substantiate my claim.

Asian style Barley Pilaf

Ingredients:

3 pieces red Asian shallots,sliced
1 tbsp ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups (500 ml) vegetable stock

1/2 cup (125 ml) Shao Xing cooking wine

1 tsp Sichuan pepper corns, crushed

1 1/2 (330 g) pearled barley
200 g  firm tofu, sliced 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) thick, fried
3 tsp (15 ml) kecap manis (sweet, thick soy sauce)

300 g bok choy, steamed or blanched, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) lengths

7 pieces red bird's eye chili, thinly sliced

150 g Thai basil 

white pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Saute garlic, ginger and shallots until fragrant. Add Shao Xing wine.

2. Add barley, pepper corns and  vegetable stock until all liquid has been absorbed.

3. Add the tofu and kecap manis (sweet soy sauce).  Mix until the soy sauce is incorporated, making sure not to break up the tofu pieces.

4. Add the basil leaves, bok choi and chilies. Season with  pepper.