Hakka Stuffed Tofu - A Heritage Dish
Stuffed Tofu is a must-have Lunar New Year dish in Hakka households! Tender tofu paired with savory meat filling makes perfect bite-sized pieces that go wonderfully with rice.
What is Hakka stuffed tofu
Hakka stuffed tofu is a traditional famous dish in Hakka areas such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Jiangxi.
Old tofu is used to dig holes and fill them with seasoned fillings such as pork and mushrooms, and then it is made through processes such as frying and boiling.
Its taste is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The fragrance of beans and the fragrance of meat blend together. It is delicious and has rich layers. It contains Hakka culture. It is a frequent guest at family banquets and is deeply loved.
What type of tofu to use
We recommend that you use firm tofu.
Its texture is compact and its hardness is relatively high. During the cooking operations such as digging holes and filling fillings and subsequent frying and boiling, it can better maintain the integrity of its own structure and is not prone to breaking, thus ensuring the shaping effect and taste of stuffed tofu.
Avoid choosing silk tofu that is not pressed, has an overly soft texture and is extremely fragile.
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Main ingredients:
Tofu: Usually firm tofu is chosen. The texture is tight, which is convenient for filling and cooking. It can absorb the soup of the filling and has a strong bean fragrance.
Pork filling: Moderately fatty and lean. When cooking, the oil makes the filling moist. Paired with tofu, it has a good taste and sufficient nutrition.
Mushrooms: Add rich aroma and unique flavor to stuffed tofu and enrich nutrition.
Main seasonings:
Starch: Used for increasing the viscosity and shaping of the filling.
White sugar: Enhance freshness and remove fishy smell, and harmonize the taste.
White pepper powder: Remove fishy smell and increase fragrance, and enrich the taste level.
Light soy sauce: Enhance freshness and saltiness and add color to the dish.
Oyster sauce: Enhance the umami taste and make the stuffed tofu have a rich and mellow taste.
Cooking wine: Remove fishy smell and increase fragrance and make the meat tender.
Sesame oil: Increase fragrance and moisten the filling and make the dish fragrant.
Substitutes:
For pork filling: It can be replaced by beef filling or chicken filling.
For mushrooms: It can be replaced by pleurotus eryngii or fungus.
For starch: It can also be replaced by lotus root starch.
For white pepper powder: It can also be replaced by black pepper powder or Sichuan pepper powder.
For oyster sauce: It can be replaced by abalone sauce or diluted shrimp paste, but the amount should be controlled.
For sesame oil: It can be replaced by olive oil or Sichuan pepper oil.
INGREDIENTS
Main Ingredients
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·500g Firm tofu
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·200g Ground pork
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·100g Shiitake mushrooms
Seasonings
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·10g Cornstarch
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·5g Sugar
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·5g White pepper powder
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·3g Salt
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·15g Light soy sauce
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·15g Oyster sauce
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·5g Chinese cooking wine
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·5g Sesame oil
COOKING STEP
Step 1
Prepare the filling:
Dice the mushrooms.
Put mushrooms, pork filling and the previously scooped out tofu in a bowl.
Add 5g cooking wine, 3g salt, 5g white pepper powder, and 5g sesame oil.
Mix thoroughly.
Step 2
Prepare the tofu:
Cut tofu into uniform cubes, about 3-4cm is ideal.
Using a small spoon, gently create a cavity in the center of each tofu cube, being careful not to pierce through. This cavity is for the filling.
Step 3
Combine tofu and filling:
Place appropriate amount of filling into each tofu cavity, gently press to ensure filling is compact and well-combined with tofu.
Dust the surface with cornstarch and lightly press, this prevents the filling from falling out during frying.
Step 4
Pan-fry the tofu:
Heat oil in wok until medium-hot (test by inserting chopsticks - small bubbles should form around them).
Place stuffed tofu filling-side down, fry slowly on low heat.
Occasionally shake the wok to prevent sticking.
When filling side turns golden brown, carefully flip and continue frying until other side is golden.
Step 5
Prepare sauce:
In a bowl, combine 15g oyster sauce, 15g light soy sauce, 5g sugar, and half bowl of water. Mix well.
Step 6
Final cooking:
Pour sauce mixture into the wok.
Cook until sauce thickens.
Step 7
Garnish with chopped green onions before serving!
Recipe Variations
Seafood stuffed tofu:
Adding seafood ingredients such as shrimps and fish on the basis of traditional pork filling not only increases the protein content but also makes the taste of stuffed tofu more delicious, tender and smooth, and elastic.
Vegetarian stuffed tofu:
To meet the needs of vegetarians, all-vegetarian stuffed tofu fillings can be made. Cut vegetables such as mushrooms, fungus, carrots, and winter bamboo shoots into small cubes, add an appropriate amount of soy products such as dried tofu, and then season with seasonings such as salt, light soy sauce, and sesame oil. The stuffed tofu made in this way is refreshing and delicious and has a unique flavor.
Serving Suggestions
With staple foods:
Hakka stuffed tofu is a very delicious dish that can be eaten with staple foods such as rice, steamed buns, and noodles. Rice can absorb the soup of stuffed tofu, making the taste more rich; steamed buns and noodles can be matched with stuffed tofu to increase satiety.
With vegetables:
To ensure a balanced diet and nutrition, some vegetables can be eaten together, such as green vegetables, broccoli, green beans, etc. The refreshing taste of vegetables can neutralize the greasiness of stuffed tofu and at the same time provide rich vitamins and dietary fiber.
FAQs:
Before making stuffed tofu, tofu pieces can be coated with a thin layer of dry powder first, such as starch or flour.
In this way, when frying, the powder layer can play a certain role in isolation and protection, reducing the direct contact between tofu and the bottom of the pot and lowering the risk of breaking.
2.Correct frying method
Heating the pan before adding oil is the key. Heat the pan first and then pour in oil. This can make the oil evenly distributed on the bottom of the pan and reduce the possibility of tofu sticking to the pan. Don't rush to turn it over. Fry slowly over low heat. When seeing the bottom of tofu fried to golden brown and forming a hard shell, then carefully turn it over with a spatula to fry the other side.
Solution: Appropriate amount of starch and egg white can be added to the meat filling to increase stickiness. Stir in one direction until the filling is firm and feels sticky. When stuffing the filling, fill it tightly and press it slightly to make the filling and tofu closely combined.
Solution: When cooking, the amount of soup should be enough to submerge the tofu. And cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes to give tofu enough time to absorb the soup.
The tofu itself may be of poor quality or not properly processed before cooking, resulting in the beany smell not being removed.
Solution:
Buy fresh and high-quality tofu. Before cooking, tofu can be soaked in light salt water for 15 - 20 minutes, which can reduce the beany smell. In addition, when cooking tofu, some seasonings such as ginger slices and scallion sections can be added, which also helps to remove the beany smell.
