BRAISED BEAN-CURD HOME STYLE
1 min readServes 4.
Preparation & cooking time: 20–25 mins & soaking time for mushrooms. Bean-curd (tofu) is widely used in everyday home cooking in China. It has a rather unusual texture, and is an acquired taste. It is exceptionally high in protein and is most useful in absorbing and harmonizing the flavour of other ingredients.
4–5 small dried Chinese mushrooms
85–115g (3–4oz) lean pork
2 cakes bean-curd
about 600ml (1 pint) seasoned oil
2 spring onions, cut into short sections
3–4 small dried whole red chillies, soaked (optional)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 tablespoons yellow bean sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
about 3–4 tablespoons stock or water
a pinch of MSG (optional)
a few drops of sesame oil
Soak the mushrooms in cold water for 50–60 minutes, squeeze dry and discard any hard stalks, thinly shred the remainder. Cut the pork into thin shreds too. Split each cake of bean-curd crossways into 3–4 slices, then cut each slice diagonally into 2 triangles.
Heat the oil until hot, deep-fry the bean-curd pieces for 2–3 minutes, or until both sides are golden. Remove and drain.
Pour off excess oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the wok, stir-fry the spring onions and red chillies (if using) with the pork and mushrooms forabout 1 minute, then add the bean-curd with the soy sauce, yellow bean sauce and wine, blending well. Now add the stock or water, bring to the boil and stir-braise for 2 minutes. Finally, add the MSG (if using) and sesame oil, blend well and serve hot.
