Dongjiang Stuffed Tofu
A classic Hakka dish of tofu stuffed with seasoned meat, then pan-fried and braised to a rich, tender, and silky finish.
Ingredients
peeled pork (minced to the size of soybeans)
325 g
tofu (cut into 30 small pieces about 5 cm long, 4 cm wide, and 2.5 cm high)
600 g
soaked dried shrimp (diced)
50 g
dried flatfish powder
10 g
salt
12.5 g
MSG
7.5 g
white pepper
0.5 g
dry cornstarch
20 g
wet cornstarch
10 g
peanut oil (for frying, about 125 g actually used)
500 g
light stock (er tang)
750 g
dark soy sauce
15 g
scallion (10 g used in the filling)
15 g
water
50 g
Instructions
1
Preparing the ingredients
Cut the tofu into 30 small pieces, each about 5 cm long, 4 cm wide, and 2.5 cm high. Finely mince the pork and fish to the size of soybeans. Dice the soaked dried shrimp into small pieces.
2
Making the filling
Place the minced pork and fish in a bowl. Add 10 g salt and 0.5 g MSG, then beat the mixture until it becomes sticky. Add the diced shrimp, water, dry cornstarch, 10 g scallion, and 5 g dried flatfish powder. Continue mixing and beating for about 2 minutes to form the filling.
3
Stuffing the tofu
Hollow out a small cavity (about 2.5 cm long and 1.5 cm wide) in the center of each tofu piece, then stuff about 20 g of the filling into each cavity.
4
Pan-frying and braising
Heat a wok over medium heat, add 25 g oil, and place the stuffed tofu pieces in one by one. Pan-fry while adding oil twice more (about 25 g each time) until both sides are golden brown. Transfer the tofu to a clay pot, add the light stock, remaining salt, and MSG, cover, and braise over medium heat for 2 minutes until cooked through. Add dark soy sauce for color, thicken with wet cornstarch, drizzle with 25 g oil, transfer to a plate, and garnish with scallion, dried flatfish powder, and white pepper before serving.
