Braised Tofu Sichuan Style (家常豆腐)
Braised tofu tastes amazing when made in Sichuan style. Chewy outside and soft inside, the tofu has a spongy texture that helps to soak up all the flavour from the sauce.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 400 g tofu about 14oz, see note 1
- Neural cooking oil for shallow frying or air-frying
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ tablespoon Sichuan chilli bean paste see note 2 for substitutes
- 4 large dried shiitake mushroom rehydrated and sliced
- 250 ml water (in which shiitake mushroom is soaked) about 1 cup
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 4 fresh chili pepper cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon tapioca starch/corn starch, mix with 3 tsp water
- 1 stalk scallions finely chopped
Instructions
Fry the tofu
- Slice the tofu into triangle pieces, about 2 cm (¾ inch) thick. Pat dry their surface with kitchen paper.
- Option 1: Shallow-frying: In a flat-bottomed wok or a frying pan (preferably a deep one as it’ll be used for the braising step later), heat up oil enough to cover about half the thickness of the tofu. Test with the tip of a chopstick. If bubbles appear around it, the oil is hot enough. Gently slide in the tofu pieces one by one. Turn down the heat to medium and leave to fry. Flip over once the first side turns golden. When both sides are done, transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
- Option 2: Air-frying: Preheat the air-fryer at 200°C/390°F for 3 mins. Spray a thin layer of oil over both sides of the tofu pieces. Then put them in a single layer over the crisper tray inside the air fryer (you might need to fry in two batches). Leave to fry for about 12 mins until they become golden (the time required may vary so check at 10 mins).
Braise the dish
- Pour out most of the oil leaving just a little in the wok/pan (If the tofu is air-fried in the last step, add 2 tsp of oil to a wok/pan). Fry garlic and Sichuan chili bean paste over medium heat until fragrant.
- Add shiitake mushroom, the mushroom water, dark soy sauce and sugar. Bring it to a boil.
- Put in the fried tofu and chili pepper. Stir around then cover with a lid. Leave to braise over low heat for 2 mins. Add a little more water if needed.
- Pour in the starch water. Give everything a quick stir then garnish with scallions. Dish out and serve immediately.
Cook ahead
- It takes very little time to cook this dish if you have fried tofu at hand. So I recommend you fry a big batch of tofu when time permits and store it in the fridge or freezer for later use.
- Fried tofu can be kept in the fridge for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three months (defrost in the fridge before cooking).
Notes
1. Firm tofu is preferable for this dish.
2. Sichuan chili bean paste (aka spicy Doubanjiang) can be replaced by Pickled Chili Garlic Sauce or Spicy Black Bean Sauce. The taste of the final dish will be different but still nice. You may also use similar condiments found in your local shop. Adjust the quantity if necessary as the saltiness of each sauce varies.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 267kcal
