Stuffed tofu

Name: Stuffed tofu
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Cantonese
Ingredients: Tofu 2 blocks; Pork mince 150 g; Fish paste 75 g; Water chestnut 2; Spring onion / scallion 2; Fresh ginger 1 tsp; Chicken egg (hard-boiled) 1; Salt ½ tsp; Sugar 1 tsp; Light soy sauce 2 tsp; Cornflour 1 tbsp; Sesame oil ½ tsp; Oyster sauce 1 tbsp; Superior stock 60 ml; Cooking oil 1 tsp; Coriander / cilantro a few sprigs

蒸釀豆腐

SteamedTofuWeekendFor guestsKids like itTakes carehands-on 30 min · start to finish 45 min

“Ready when the rice is. Nothing simpler.”

Ingredientsserves 4

街市Tofu· about 600 g firm tofu, not extra firm2 blocks

街市Pork mince· fatty150 g

街市Fish paste· Hong Kong style fish paste; or prawn paste75 g

街市Water chestnut· chopped2

街市Spring onion / scallion· one chopped for the filling, one to finish2

街市Fresh ginger· pressed for juice1 tsp

街市Chicken egg (hard-boiled)· half the white only1

雜貨舖Salt½ tsp

雜貨舖Sugar· ½ tsp in the filling, ½ tsp in the sauce1 tsp

雜貨舖Light soy sauce· 1 tsp in the filling, 1 tsp in the sauce2 tsp

雜貨舖Cornflour· 1 tsp in the filling, 1 tsp in the sauce, the rest to dust the tofu1 tbsp

雜貨舖Sesame oil· in the filling½ tsp

雜貨舖Oyster sauce· for the sauce1 tbsp

雜貨舖Superior stock· or water, for the sauce60 ml

雜貨舖Cooking oil· to oil the plate1 tsp

街市Coriander / cilantro· to finisha few sprigs

Method

Drain the tofu on kitchen paper fifteen minutes; cut each block into six thick squares or triangles and scoop a shallow pocket from the centre of each with a teaspoon, leaving the base intact.
Make the filling: beat the pork and fish paste with the salt, half a teaspoon of sugar, a teaspoon of soy, a pinch of white pepper, a teaspoon of cornflour, the sesame oil and half an egg white in one direction until springy; fold in the water chestnut, spring onion and ginger juice.
Dust each pocket with a little cornflour so the filling grips, and press in a heaped teaspoon, doming it slightly; keep the layer thin, or it will not cook in the time the tofu does.
Arrange on an oiled plate, filling side up, and steam over fully boiling water on high for ten to twelve minutes until the filling is firm and cooked through.
Pour the liquid from the plate into a small pan, add the stock, oyster sauce, a teaspoon of soy, half a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of cornflour, bring to the boil to thicken and pour over the tofu.
Finish with spring onion and coriander and serve with rice; for the Hakka version, fry the steamed pieces in a pan afterwards so they brown, and it becomes 煎釀豆腐.

Take care

Contains soy (tofu, soy sauce), wheat (soy sauce), fish (fish paste) or crustacean (prawn paste), egg white and sesame; oyster sauce contains mollusc (oyster). The pork and fish filling must be cooked through: a thin layer in ten to twelve minutes, a thick dome longer.

The story

Stuffed tofu is the signature Hakka dish; Chinese Wikipedia explains 釀 as “to stuff” and records the tradition that Hakka migrants in the south, without wheat for dumplings, stuffed tofu instead, with 大埔 county the famous source. Hong Kong’s Hakka villages in the New Territories kept it, and the Cantonese city took it as 煎釀豆腐 and 煎釀三寶; the steamed version is the home one, gentler and without a frying pan.

Same technique

Steamed whole fish

Pork patty with preserved mustard

Spare ribs in black bean sauce

Lo Fo Tong is cultural food-heritage reference, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, unwell or on medication, talk to your doctor or registered practitioner before changing what is in the pot.