Braised Tofu Sichuan Style (家常豆腐)

About the dish

Today’s braised tofu is based on a classic Sichuan dish called Jiā Cháng Dòu Fù (家常豆腐) which literally means home-style tofu. As its name suggests, it’s quick and simple to make. But the flavour of the dish is beyond compare. That is one reason why it often appears on restaurant menus.

The fried then braised tofu pieces soak up all the flavour this dish offers: spicy, aromatic, garlicky and umami. For people who have a misconception of tofu dishes being bland and boring, this is definitely a great dish to try.

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Believe me! Tofu has remained one of the most popular ingredients in Chinese cuisine for thousands of years for a very good reason.

Ingredients

The ingredients needed for this recipe include:

• Tofu
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Fresh chilli
• Scallions & garlic
• Sichuan chilli bean paste
• Dark soy sauce
• Cornstarch
• Salt and sugar

About chili bean paste

Sichuan chili bean paste (aka spicy Doubanjiang/辣豆瓣酱) is a fundamental condiment of Sichuan Cuisine. It can be found in many classic dishes, e.g. Twice Cooked Pork, Sichuan Boiled Beef, etc. The image above shows my favourite variety “Pixian Douban/郫县豆瓣“. 

🛎 Substitute: Although there isn’t a replacement ingredient for Sichuan chili bean paste, you may use two alternatives for this recipe: Pickled Chili Garlic Sauce or Black Bean Sauce (the spicy version).

You may also use similar condiments found in your local shop. But be aware that you might need to adjust the quantity as the saltiness of each sauce varies.

How to choose tofu

Different from Mapo Tofu and Garlic Sauce Tofu which require medium to soft textured tofu, Sichuan style braised tofu works better when made with firm tofu. In Chinese, this type of tofu has various names: Bei Dou Fu (北豆腐), Lao Dou Fu (老豆腐), Lu Shui Dou Fu (卤水豆腐), etc.

Firm tofu has a lower water content than medium, soft or silken tofu. Irregular holes are clearly visible in every part of the block. It feels pretty solid and has little give when pressed. Yet, I wouldn’t recommend extra firm tofu (often found in vegan section in mainstream supermarkets rather than Chinese stores) which is too dry and crumbles easily.

Compared to softer types of tofu, firm tofu delivers a more pronounced soybean flavour which I appreciate very much. It’s also less fragile when handling, thus it’s perfect for novice home cooks who are unfamiliar with this ingredient.

In today’s dish, tofu is usually served in triangle-shaped pieces. You can firstly slice it into squares, then cut it diagonally. The thickness of each piece should be around 2cm (¾ inch). Before frying, make sure to pat dry each piece with kitchen paper to reduce splashing.

The traditional recipe for Sichuan braised tofu involves deep-frying which is a cooking method I tend to avoid unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’ve tested two less greasy alternatives: shallow-frying and air-frying. I’m happy to say that they both work perfectly. 

Braise the tofu

Step 1: Fry the sauce

If you’ve shallow-fried the tofu, use the same wok/pan to braise the dish. Pour out most of the oil and leave just a little to fry minced garlic and Sichuan chili bean paste.

If you’ve air-fried the tofu, add about 2 teaspoons of oil to a wok/pan and fry garlic and Sichuan chili bean paste until fragrant.

Step 2: Simmer in mushroom water

Then add dried shiitake mushroom (rehydrated and sliced), about 250ml (1 cup) water in which the mushroom was rehydrated, dark soy sauce and sugar. Bring it to a full boil then put in fried tofu and chili pepper. Cover with a lid and leave to braise over low heat for 2 minutes or so. 

During this braising process, most of the liquid (and the flavour) will be absorbed by the fried tofu. If you’d like to have more sauce (e.g. for pouring over the rice when serving), please feel free to add a little more water if the dish appears dry.

🛎 TIP: “Why do you use the mushroom water?” You may ask. Because it has extracted the aromatic flavor from dried shiitake mushroom which elevates the umami taste of the dish. If you replace dried shiitake with fresh ones, replace the mushroom soaking water with vegetable stock if available.

Step 3: Thicken the sauce

Finally, pour in the mixture of starch and water to thicken the sauce (stir well beforehand as the starch tends to sink to the bottom). Garnish with finely chopped scallions before dishing out.