My family is Hakka Chinese, and although I can’t understand or speak the dialect, at least I know how to eat the food. Stuffed tofu is one of my family’s favourite Hakka dishes and it’s actually so easy to make!
Normally restaurants serve this with firm tofu, but my family loves to use fried tofu because of how well it absorbs the sauce and that it is the perfect bitesize. Tofu is also a lot more delicate, so it could break easily if you accidentally stuff a little too hard, whereas fried tofu skin doesn’t break as easily.
ingredients:
- 250g minced pork
- 80g shrimp, minced
- 20-25 fried tofu
- chopped green onions (for garnish)
Pork marinade:
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms (rehydrated), finely chopped
- 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp sugar
- a pinch of white pepper powder
- 2 tbsp mushroom water (reserved from rehydrating the shiitake mushrooms)
Sauce:
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tbsp oyster sauce
- a pinch of sugar
- a pinch of white pepper powder
steps:
- In a bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients together, then add minced pork and shrimp. Mix until sticky and well combined, then set aside to marinate.
- Rinse and drain the fried tofu. Take one cube, cut off the top surface using scissors, then use a small spoon to scoop out the white tofu part. *You can use the leftover tofu scraps in soups, noodles or stir-fries– don’t waste!
- Stuff each tofu cube with the filling. Make sure to use the spoon and press down as you go to ensure there are no gaps inside.
- Add vegetable oil to a pan (that comes with a lid). Place the stuffed tofu with the meat side facing down. Over medium-high heat, fry for 3-4 minutes until the golden brown. Pour over the sauce, cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for around 6-8 minutes (or until the sauce starts to reduce).
- Remove the lid from the pan and flip the tofu blocks. Continue to let it pan-fry for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Then transfer them to a serving plate. Serve with rice and enjoy!
tips:
- Save the water after soaking and rehydrating shiitake mushrooms. This water brings a lot of rich umami flavour to the the pork when added to the marinade, so don’t waste it!
- STUFF the tofu. REALLY stuff it. Make sure to use a small spoon to press the filling down as you go to leave no gaps inside.
check out more of my comfort food recipes:
Hakka-style Stuffed Tofu
2
servings40
minutes15
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
250 g minced pork
80 g shrimp, minced
20 -25 fried tofu
chopped green onions (for garnish)
- Pork marinade:
3 dried shiitake mushrooms (rehydrated), finely chopped
1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
½ tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
a pinch of white pepper powder
2 tbsp mushroom water (reserved from rehydrating the shiitake mushrooms)
- Sauce:
1 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp light soy sauce
½ tbsp oyster sauce
a pinch of sugar
a pinch of white pepper powder
Directions
- read above for my tips to success!
- In a bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients together, then add minced pork and shrimp. Mix until sticky and well combined, then set aside to marinate.
- Rinse and drain the fried tofu. Take one cube, cut off the top surface using scissors, then use a small spoon to scoop out the white tofu part. *You can use the leftover tofu scraps in soups, noodles or stir-fries– don’t waste!
- Stuff each tofu cube with the filling. Make sure to use the spoon and press down as you go to ensure there are no gaps inside.
- Add vegetable oil to a pan (that comes with a lid). Place the stuffed tofu with the meat side facing down. Over medium-high heat, fry for 3-4 minutes until the golden brown. Pour over the sauce, cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for around 6-8 minutes (or until the sauce starts to reduce).
- Remove the lid from the pan and flip the tofu blocks. Continue to let it pan-fry for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Then transfer them to a serving plate. Serve with rice and enjoy!
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