Home Style Tofu
A delicious and authentic sauces recipe for Home Style Tofu, prepared with traditional seasonings and techniques.
Ingredients
- • 1 block (14 oz/396 g) soft or medium firm tofu (cut into 1 cm thick triangles (Footnote 1))
- • 1 cup vegetable oil (for deep frying)
- • 4 cloves garlic (sliced)
- • 1 " (2.5 cm) ginger (thinly sliced into strips)
- • 3 spring onions (cut into 1" pieces, white and green parts separated)
- • 1 tablespoon doubanjiang
- • 1/2 carrot (sliced (about 1/3 cup))
- • 1 sweet peppers (cut into 1” diamonds)
- • 1 (8-oz / 226 g) can sliced bamboo shoots (or 1 bamboo shoot, sliced (about 1/3 cup))
- • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- • 3 tablespoons light soy sauce ((or soy sauce))
- • 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar
- • 2 teaspoons vegetarian oyster sauce ((or sweet bean paste) (Footnote 2))
- • 1 tablespoon sugar
- • 3 tablespoons water ((or vegetable stock))
- • 1 1/2 teaspoons cornflour
- • 1 tablespoon water
Preparation Steps
Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Add the slurry ingredients into a small bowl and stir to mix well.
In a high-walled frying pan or pot, heat the oil to 375°F (190°C). Carefully add the tofu. Fry until both sides turn golden, about 3 minutes. Flip once or twice to ensure even cooking. Remove the tofu from the oil and transfer it to a big plate.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan (alternatively, you can heat 1 tablespoon of oil in another large frying pan).
Add the garlic, ginger, spring onions (white part), and doubanjiang to the pan. Turn the heat to medium. Stir fry to release the fragrance until the oil turns red, about 2 minutes.
Add the fried tofu, carrots, sweet peppers, and bamboo. Stir fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Pour in the sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, gently flipping occasionally. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the spring onions (green part). Mix the slurry again so the cornflour is fully dissolved. Pour in the slurry and mix with a spatula until the sauce thickens.
Drizzle in a teaspoon of sesame oil to finish up.
Serve hot over steamed rice as a main dish.