Chinese cooking with tofu

Chinese cooking with tofu is sometimes seen as a replacement for meat although it can easily be combined with meat too. Tofu, or Doufu is invented by the Chinese more then 2000 years ago. Up to today it's a very important part of Chinese cooking. Tofu itself taste bland but when used in dishes it will get its taste.

Tofu is a ready to eat food but can be boiled or fried, hot, cold, cooked or uncooked. It's high in protein and low in carbohydrate; cholesterol free and full of iron. Tofu is easier to digest then soy bean. Chinese women have always linked tofu to beautiful complexion and smooth skin.

Tofu, usually in rectangular block, is available in bulk (the ones covered in water, is best for Chinese cooking), individually wrapped (usually vacuum sealed), as well as in dried or frozen form. Fresh tofu can be kept in the refrigerator or the freezer. The tofu will keep in the fridge for about 1 week if immersed in water that is changed every two days in a tightly sealed container

Here's a few tofu recipes:

Vegetarian Beancurd rolls

Ingredients:

• 3 sheets dried bean curd
• 3 sheets yakinori (roasted seaweed used in sushi rolls)
• Seasoning:
• 1 tb light soy sauce
• 1 ts salt
• 2 tss sugar
• 1 ts pepper
• 1 ts sesame oil
• a pinch MSG (if desired)
• 3 cups water
• Oil for frying

Preparation:

Heat water in the wok and add the remaining seasonings. Bring to a boil. Lower heat.

Fold the bean curd sheets into 4 squares. Boil the folded sheets in the heated water for 1 minute, using chopsticks to move the sheets around the boiling water as necessary. Drain.

In a baking tray, spread out the bean curd sheet and re-fold into a square. Place a square of seaweed on top, and fold into an oblong shape. 

In a wok or large skillet add oil. Fry the bean curd rolls on high heat until both sides are golden brown, adding more oil as needed. Slice into 1 - 1 1/2 inch (3 - 4 centimeter) pieces before serving.

Flower Bean Curd Soup

Ingredients:

For the broth:

• 1 cup dried shitake mushrooms
• 2 tbsp black fungus, broken into pieces
• 1/2 tsp fermented and salted black beans (rinsed)
• 1 small piece of kombu

For the vegetables:

• 1 cup eggplant
• 1 cup bok choy, chopped, with the leaves and stems separated
• 1/4 cup parsnip
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1/8 cup shallot
• 1/2 inch ginger, minced
• 1 clove ginger, minced
• 1/2 cup silken tofu, crumbled
• 1/4 tsp chili oil
• black pepper
• red chili flakes
• Chinese Five Spice
• tamari

Preparation:

Soak the mushrooms and the black fungus in warm water until they soften, which will take twenty to thirty minutes.

Put the rinsed black beans in a pot. Add the kombu. Add water (I eyeballed). Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the broth simmer until the kombu looks like something a sea otter would play in (ten to fifteen minutes). Remove the kombu and black beans from the broth (I used a colander). Add the mushrooms and the black fungus, with their soaking liquid, to the broth.

In a separate pot, shallow fry the shallots, pepper, garlic, and ginger together with the spices. Add the eggplant, celery, parsnip, and baby bok choy stems. When the eggplant and parsnip brown in spots, add the broth. Let the soup simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes. Stir in the mung bean sprouts, baby bok choy, and silken tofu. Add tamari and chili flakes to taste.

Stir fried vegetables with bean curd

Ingredients:

• 2 sq seasoned pressed bean curd
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 large carrot
• 6 cups boiling water
• 1/2 cup giant bamboo shoots, cut
• 1 into sticks
• 1/2 medium white onion
• 1 tb peanut oil
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 ts salt
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1/2 ts ginger root, minced
• 2 ts medium sherry
• 1/2 ts sesame oil
• 1 cornstarch paste

Preparation:

Cut pressed bean curd into sticks 2" long, the size of a lead pencil. Wash and trim celery and carrots; trim strings from back of celery; cut into sticks to match pressed bean curd. Wash and slice giant bamboo shoot across grain to match bean curd sticks. Peel onion, take apart layers; cut into sticks.

Combine chicken stock, salt, sugar, ginger, sherry and sesame oil in bowl. Reserve.

Put carrots in rapidly boiling water; in 15 seconds, add celery; in another 15 seconds, drain and plunge vegetables into running cold water to stop cooking process. Drain and reserve.

Stir-frying: Heat wok to very hot; add oil. Let oil heat for a few seconds, then add onions; toss for 10 seconds. Add celery, carrots and bamboo shoots; toss for 1 minute. Slowly pour in chicken stock mixture around sides of pan so it will heat quickly. When liquid boils, add bean curd sticks, taking care not to break pieces. Thicken liquid slightly with a dribble or two of cornstarch paste. Keep stirring gently to reduce liquid. Remove to serving platter.

Fresh Prawns in Chinese Bean Curd Salad

• 1 1/2 lbs (10-12 pieces) fresh Prawns
• 4-5 cloves of fresh garlic
• crushed 8 pieces
• (2 inches )scallion whites
• 2-3 pieces hot chili peppers
• 4 pieces fermented bean curds
• 4 pieces, sliced ginger root
• 1 cup seafood or chicken broth to taste:
• salt, sugar, sesame oil and white pepper

Preparation:

Cut away sharp pointed edge on prawns' head and remove pinchers. Leave prawns' head and shells intact.

Heat frying pan until very hot and add 3 tbs oil. quickly add garlic, ginger and scallion white; sautee for a couple of seconds. Add fermented bean curds and prawns. Sautee for 30 seconds on each side. Add 3 tsp of cooking wine and 1 cup of broth. Add chili pepper, sugar, sesame oil. and white pepper.

Cook for an additional minute and thicken remaining sauce with corn starch.

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