Hakka Style Stuffed Tofu
Traditionally,
the Hakka style stuffed tofu is prepared with fatty pork and dried shrimps. Back in the days of modest rural living in
Southern China, when meat was a rare commodity (mainly eaten on holidays and
special occasions), tofu stuffed with fatty pork was a special treat. However, in today’s fat-overloaded American
diet, we can definitely do without this extra fat. In this recipe I replaced the fatty pork and
dried shrimps with lean chicken and fresh shrimps and still maintained the comforting
nature of this all-time favorite in the Hakka cuisine.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
Stuffing1 pound lean ground chicken (can also use ground turkey)
15 medium size shrimps, peeled, cleaned and minced
3 leaves of Napa cabbage, minced
1 scallion, diced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon
granulated garlic
2 teaspoon
regular soy sauce
2 tablespoons
vegetable oil
Tofu2 (20 ounce) packages silken tofu
Use firm tofu if you’re uncomfortable handling silken tofu. However, I personally prefer silken tofu over firm.
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
Directions:
1. Evenly combine all the “stuffing ingredients”,
except the vegetable oil, in a large mixing bowl.
2. Cut
each package of tofu into 12 pieces. Stuff the tofu by following these directions.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet
or grilling pan. Lower heat to simmer
once oil is hot.
4. Place the stuffed tofu on the hot pan, meat side
down. Turn heat to high once all the tofu pieces are
in the pan. Cover lid and pan fry tofu
for 5 to7 minutes, until meat is golden (with grill marks if you’re using a
grilling pan).
5. Lower heat to simmer. Using a spatula gently flip tofu pieces over to
the other side. Sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon
salt on top of the tofu. Turn heat to
medium. Cover lid and pan fry for
another 5 - 7 minutes, until tofu is golden (with grill marks if you’re using a
grilling pan). Served alone or with steamed brown or white
rice.
