This braised tofu or hongshao dofu is my grandpa’s favorite dish when we go out to eat at this little Cantonese restaurant on Division Street in Chinatown. I have to say that this is a pretty crazy authentic homemade version, courtesy of my dad, natch.
Tofu has got to be the most awesomely delicious food with the worst reputation ever. It’s got a huge variety of textures, and essentially takes on whatever flavor you add to it.
This dish is vegetarian/vegan (if you leave out the oyster sauce or use a vegetarian oyster sauce), but you don’t miss the meat. At all. I would gladly pass over a hunk of grilled meat for this. And you’ll only be standing at the stove for five to ten minutes, max.
Recipe Instructions
Mix cornstarch and water into a slurry in a small bowl and set aside.
Drain the medium firm tofu of excess liquid and cut into ½ inch thick slices.
Wash and slice your mushrooms. If you are using the dried mushrooms, wash about 4 of them, soak in hot water for an hour, and trim the stems for before slicing.
Make a braised tofu sauce mixture by combining the stock, oyster sauce, sesame oil, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
Heat the wok over high heat and add the oil. Spread the tofu in 1 layer in the wok. Sear each side for about a minute. If you need more time to turn the tofu, reduce the heat to medium and take your time!
Add the garlic to the wok.
After another minute, add the stock mixture and the mushrooms. Return the heat to high if it’s not already there. Give the wok a shake to prevent the tofu from sticking.
When the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium, cover and let cook for about 5 minutes. Some of the liquid should evaporate. You decide how much liquid to put depending how saucy you want your braised hongshao dofu.
Remove the cover, turn the wok back up to high heat and add your snow peas, carrots, bell peppers, and bamboo shoots.
Gently toss them with the tofu, being careful not to break the tofu pieces. Quickly add the cornstarch slurry a little at a time to thicken the remaining liquid just enough to coat tofu and vegetables.
If the sauce is too thick, just add more water or stock. If it’s too thin, add more slurry.
Give your braised hongshao dofu dish a final toss, and serve immediately with some steamed rice.
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Recipe
Quick and Easy Braised Tofu (Hongshao Dofu)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 pound medium firm tofu (450g)
- ¼ cup fresh shiitake mushrooms (or reconstituted dried mushrooms, sliced)
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make it vegetarian)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (optional, or use a vegetarian oyster sauce made from mushrooms)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 cup snow peas (washed and trimmed)
- 1 small carrot (thinly sliced)
- 1 small red bell pepper (sliced)
- ¼ cup bamboo shoots (optional, sliced)
Instructions
- Mix cornstarch and water into a slurry in a small bowl and set aside. Drain the tofu of excess liquid and cut into ½ inch thick slices. Wash and slice your mushrooms. If you are using the dried mushrooms, wash about 4 of them, soak in hot water for an hour, and trim the stems for before slicing.
- Make a stock mixture by combining the stock, oyster sauce, sesame oil, soy sauces, shaoxing wine, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
- Heat the wok over high heat and add the oil. Spread the tofu in 1 layer in the wok. Sear each side for about a minute. If you need more time to turn the tofu, reduce the heat to medium and take your time! Add the garlic to the wok.
- After another minute, add the stock mixture and the mushrooms. Return the heat to high if it’s not already there. Give the wok a shake to prevent the tofu from sticking. When the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium, cover and let cook for about 5 minutes. Some of the liquid should evaporate.
- Remove the cover, turn the wok back up to high heat and add your vegetables. Gently toss them with the tofu, being careful not to break the tofu pieces. Quickly add the cornstarch slurry a little at a time to thicken the remaining liquid just enough to coat tofu and vegetables. If the sauce is too thick, just add more water or stock. If it’s too thin, add more slurry. Give the dish a final toss, and serve immediately with some steamed rice.
