Hakka Yong Tau Fu – Stuffed Bean Curd and Vegetables

Ingredients

• For the stuffing :
• Fish paste 600g (I used Spanish Markerel fillet)
• Dash of sesame oil
• 2 tsp salt, white pepper to taste
• For the bean curd and vegetables :
• Hard tofu 600g (make 12)
• Fried soft tofu 200g (make 12)
• Bitter melon 400g (make 12)
• Fresh chillies 8, made a slit lengthwise and seeds removed
• Corn flour solution for thickening
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• For the sauce :
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tbs Lee Kum Kee Chilli Bean Sauce (Toban Djan)
• 2 tbs oyster sauce
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• Dash of Chinese cooking wine
• White pepper to taste
• 1.5 litre stock

Method

1. Scrap Spanish Markerel off the bone, finely chop till turn into paste. Mix fish paste with salt, white pepper, and sesame oil, and set aside.
2. To prepare the bean curd (hard tofu and fried soft tofu) for stuffing : make a cut lengthwise, with both ends still attached
3. To prepare bitter melon for stuffing : cut around 2 cm wide and remove seeds
4. To prepare the chillies for stuffing : make a slit lengthwise and remove all membranes and seeds
5. Stuff bean curd and vegetables with fish paste using a butter knife
6. Heat a deep pan over medium heat, and pan fry stuffed bean curd and vegetables in batches, until golden and set aside.
7. Saute garlic with a little oil for 30 second in the same pan, before adding Lee Kum Kee chilli bean sauce.
8. Continue to saute for a minute, then add in oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, cooking wine, white pepper and stock. Simmer for 2 minutes and check for seasonings.
9. Arrange stuffed bean curd and vegetables neatly in the pan and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. Thicken the sauce with corn flour solution just before serving.
10. Sprinkle spring onions on top and serve with plenty of steamed rice!

Product used in recipe

• Lee Kum Kee - Chilli Bean Sauce