🍲 Braised Tofu・Hong Kong-style home-cooked smooth and delicious nostalgic dish

Editor's Preface

Braised Tofu is a classic Cantonese dish that combines health and flavor. It features simple ingredients and a versatile cooking method. It's smooth and savory, with a rich wok aroma. Whether cooked vegetarian or with meat or shrimp, it's a favorite among both children and the elderly. Here, we share tips for perfecting the right heat and seasoning to achieve a truly restaurant-quality dish!

Ingredients preparation

• 2-3 bricks of firm tofu (Hong Kong-style tofu, flat tofu, or your choice)

• 80g minced pork/minced beef (for vegetarians, substitute diced mushrooms or vegetarian meat)

• Half a carrot (cut into small pieces/slices)

• 1 celery/scallion

• 2 slices of ginger, 2 cloves of garlic

• 2 soaked shiitake mushrooms (diced, optional)

• 1 tablespoon green beans (optional)

• 1.5 tablespoons light soy sauce

• 0.5 tablespoon dark soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 200ml water (or chicken broth for a better flavor)

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch/corn starch (for thickening)

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil

Detailed steps

🥢 1. Tofu pretreatment

• Cut the tofu into thick slices (1.5 cm thick) and pat dry with kitchen paper.

• Beat an egg and sprinkle a little egg liquid and cornstarch on both sides of the tofu (to make it crispy, fragrant and smooth).

• Add oil to a frying pan and fry the tofu on both sides until golden brown and slightly crispy. Remove from the pan and drain the oil for later use.

🥩 2. Prepare the main ingredients and sauté until fragrant

• Finely chop ginger and garlic, and dice carrots, mushrooms, and green onions.

• Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and sauté ginger, garlic, minced meat, mushrooms, and carrots over medium heat until the meat is cooked and turns white.

• Add 0.5 spoon of dark soy sauce to color it, and the aroma will become more and more fragrant as you stir-fry.

🍳 3. Braised seasoning steps

• Add tofu back into the wok and stir-fry gently (not vigorously) to prevent it from falling apart.

• Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and appropriate amount of water/chicken broth, cover the pot and simmer on low heat for 3-5 minutes (to help the tofu absorb the flavor).

• If you like it juicier, add more soup; if you like it stronger, add more juice.

🥄 4. Thicken the sauce

• Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water, add it to the pot in batches and stir until it thickens.

• The sticky sauce wraps around each piece of tofu, making it look even better.

• Finally, sprinkle chopped green onions and Chinese celery for decoration, making the dish look and smell original.

Editor's Tips

• When frying tofu, be sure not to turn it over frequently. Fry one side first, then the other side, so that it won't fall apart.

• The meat filling can be replaced with shrimp, mushroom, chicken, etc. Feel free to use more.

• The thickening step needs to be done quickly, otherwise it will stick to the bottom.

• If you want a cleaner vegetarian meal, you can omit the meat and simply add more mushrooms, green beans, and carrots.

• If you like spicy taste, you can add chopped chili peppers.

Eating experience 🤤

The tofu is soft, tender, and fragrant, each piece soaking up the salty, sweet, and juicy sauce. The sauce is flowing, and it's a perfect match for both rice and tofu. No excuse for anyone, young or old, to not whet their appetite!

summary

Braised tofu is simple yet effective. It's smooth, fragrant, and perfectly colored, with the perfect balance of heat and seasoning. I'm going to try it out when I get home tonight. It's perfect for vegetarians or with rice, and it's incredibly versatile. 🍲🥢🌱