Home-style Tofu Recipe

One time, there was not much food at home, only tofu was left. I tried to make home-style tofu, but I didn't expect my family couldn't stop eating it. This dish is simple and delicious. Today I will share the recipe of home-style tofu with you, let's try it together.

Why I love this recipe

home-style tofu is a very popular traditional Chinese dish, known for its simplicity, deliciousness and rich nutrition. Speaking of home-style tofu, it is really a delicious dish full of stories and warmth. According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, Liu An, the King of Huainan, accidentally poured gypsum into soy milk in order to serve his sick mother, thus inventing tofu. And this home-style tofu is based on this, and after countless families' improvement and innovation, it has become a home-cooked dish suitable for all ages, with sour, sweet, spicy and salty flavors.

Ingredients Needed and Substitutions

The ingredients you need to make delicious home-style tofu include:

Main Ingredients

Tofu: Tofu is the main ingredient in this dish, providing rich protein and soft texture.

Lean meat: Lean meat adds meaty flavor and taste to dishes and increases the protein content.

Fungus: Fungus provides dishes with taste and rich fiber, increasing the nutritional value of dishes.

Seasoning

Green and red peppers , garlic, ginger, and chopped green onions : add spicy flavor to the dishes , increasing the beauty and taste of the dishes.

Doubanjiang: Doubanjiang is a condiment that provides spicy and salty flavors to dishes and adds a layer of flavor.

Cooking wine , light soy sauce, and sugar : remove fishy smell and enhance the flavor of dishes.

Water starch: used for thickening to make the soup of dishes thicker.

Alternatives:

Tofu: can be replaced with dried tofu, tofu skin or tofu balls .

Lean meat substitute: Chicken, shrimp or duck can be used instead .

Doubanjiang: can be replaced with chili sauce, sweet noodle sauce or tomato sauce .

Fungus substitute: Black fungus, white fungus or Oyster mushroom can be used instead .

What is Chinese homestyle bean curd

In traditional Chinese cooking, home-style tofu is usually made with tofu as the main ingredient. We use old tofu because it is harder and not easy to break during cooking. First, cut the tofu into cubes of uniform size and then fry them in oil. Frying the tofu is the key step. It should be fried until all sides are golden brown. This way, the tofu skin will become crispy, while the inside will still be tender and taste great.

In terms of seasoning, broad bean paste is generally used to add a strong bean aroma and salty flavor, and light soy sauce is added to enhance the freshness, and a little sugar is added to neutralize the saltiness. Green peppers and red peppers are often used as side dishes, which not only make the dish more colorful, but also add a refreshing taste. Some methods also add fungus or meat slices to make the dish more flavorful and nutritious.

Do I need to soak tofu before cooking

If it is boxed tender tofu, it is relatively soft and tender, so generally it does not need to be soaked. Just rinse it gently after taking it out of the box to avoid breaking it during the rinsing process.

But if it is old tofu, sometimes there will be some beany smell on the surface. In this case, I will soak the old tofu in light salt water for about 10-15 minutes. This has two advantages. First, it can reduce the beany smell and make the tofu taste purer. Second, it can allow the tofu to absorb some salt water, so it is not easy to break when cooked, and the taste will be better. But remember to take out the tofu after soaking, drain the water before cooking.

Tips for Success

Tofu processing skills

It is best to use old tofu and cut it into even-sized cubes. Be gentle when cutting, otherwise it will break easily. After cutting, if you want the tofu to be firmer and less likely to fall apart, you can soak the tofu in light salt water for a while, about 10-15 minutes.

Ingredients preparation details

Cut the lean meat into thin slices, put it in a bowl, add a spoonful of cooking wine, a little salt and light soy sauce, mix well and marinate for a while. This way the fried meat slices will be more tender and flavorful.

Chop the garlic and ginger into fine pieces, chop the green onion and set aside, cut the green and red peppers into small pieces, soak the fungus in advance and tear it into small pieces. Preparation of these ingredients can make subsequent cooking smoother.

The key to frying tofu

Frying the tofu is the key to this dish. Pour more oil into the pan, turn the heat down after the oil is hot, and add the tofu cubes. Frying over low heat will allow the tofu to slowly take shape. Fry until all sides are golden brown. At this time, the tofu is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. During the frying process, turn it over gently from time to time to ensure that each side is fried well, but be careful not to break the tofu.

Stir-frying order and heat control

After frying the tofu, take it out first. Leave a little oil in the pan, add minced garlic, minced ginger and bean paste, and stir-fry over low heat until the red oil and aroma come out. The heat is very important in this step, otherwise the bean paste will easily become mushy.

Then add the marinated meat slices and stir-fry until they change color. Then add the green and red pepper pieces and black fungus, turn to high heat and stir-fry quickly to allow them to be evenly heated.

Then put the fried tofu back into the pot, add appropriate amount of light soy sauce, sugar and salt for seasoning, stir fry evenly and let the tofu absorb the flavor of the seasoning.

Use of water starch and bright oil

Finally, add a proper amount of water starch to thicken the soup so that it can better wrap the tofu and side dishes. After thickening, drizzle a little clear oil, so that the whole dish looks more shiny and tastes richer.