Home-style Tofu Pot

QUICK DISH / DAIRY-FREE

Heart-warming home-style tofu pot using either fresh or thawed (frozen) tofu, peas and shrimp. Cooked in a basic broth and full of wonderful natural flavors. I always cook a whole lot and have extra for lunch next day! Add some Chinese chili bean sauce to make a spicy one!

Whether you use fresh or frozen tofu, peas, and shrimp makes little difference in terms of cooking method. However, frozen tofu, once thawed, has a distinctive sponge-like texture, making it ready to soak up all the flavors in the cooking broth. Fresh tofu will always be adored for its smooth feel in the mouth, while frozen tofu has a very interesting chewy texture which I like very much (definitely not the tough kind of chewy). The dish in the photos is made with out-of-freezer tofu, peas and shrimp. What do you think?

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HOME-STYLE TOFU POT

QUICK DISH / DAIRY-FREE / GLUTEN-FREE

MAKE 4 servings PREPARATION 10 to 15 min

Ingredients

• 700g fresh or thawed tofu
• 2 cups of fresh or thawed shrimp, devined
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen peas
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 to 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 4 tbsp corn starch mixed with 8 tbsp cold water

Method

• Cut the tofu into bite-size cubes. If using thawed tofu, let out excessive water before cutting.
• Heat a large wok on high heat. Add the oil, sauté the garlic and the shrimp for about 30 seconds or until the shrimp are pink (and opaque), Leave the garlic and cooking juice in the wok, transfer the shrimp into a bowl and set aside,
• Add the tofu and the peas to the wok, drizzle the soy sauce and toss to mix. Add enough broth until the liquid covers the tofu (add extra broth or water if needed). Bring the liquid to boil, turn down the heat, let boil gently for 5 minutes.
• Turn up the heat, add the shrimp back to the wok, mix a few times. Pour the starch mix very slowly into the boiling liquid while stirring constantly until the cooking liquid is thickened into a gravy. Discard any unused starch mix.

Recipe Notes

• I recommend thawing the frozen tofu overnight in fridge before using. If thaw immediately before use, use hot water to help speed up. It will not affect the texture or flavor too much.
• For a spicy version, just saute the garlic with 1 generous tablespoon of Lee Kim Kee Chili bean sauce (Toban Djan), which you can get from almost any supermarket. In this case, reduce the amount of soy sauce to very little or none.