Red-Braised Vegetarian Chicken
A vegetarian dish made with tofu skin and dried mushrooms that are wrapped, steamed, deep-fried, and braised in seasoned soy stock. The meat-imitation result shows a glossy reddish-brown color and a pronounced five-spice aroma.
Ingredients
Tofu skin (4 sheets chopped, 1 sheet softened and trimmed)
as needed
Dried mushrooms (washed, squeezed dry, sliced)
Sesame oil (30g for filling, 10g for mushrooms)
40 g
Soy sauce (used in portions)
175 g
Sugar (used in portions)
20 g
MSG (used in portions)
to taste
Vegetarian broth (50g for mushrooms, 1000g for main use)
1050 g
Peanut oil (for frying)
1000 g
Fresh broth (for braising)
to taste
Cooking wine
to taste
Ginger
to taste
Sichuan pepper powder
3 g
Cloves
2 g
Fennel seeds
1 g
Cinnamon bark
5 g
Star anise
1 cloves
Instructions
1
Preparing the Tofu Skin Filling
Wash the tofu skin and let it dry. Take 4 sheets, cut them into small pieces, and place them in a wok. Add 30g sesame oil, 15g soy sauce, 3g sugar, and 1g MSG. Mix evenly with chopsticks. Place the wok over low heat and gently knead with a ladle so the flavors absorb, then transfer the mixture to a plate.
2
Preparing the Dried Mushrooms
Wash the dried mushrooms and squeeze out excess water. Cut them into fingernail-sized slices. Place them in a wok and add 10g sesame oil, 10g soy sauce, 2g sugar, 0.5g MSG, and 50g vegetarian broth. Braise the mushrooms until they absorb the flavors and the sauce thickens, then transfer to another plate and set aside.
3
Shaping and Steaming
Use a clean cloth dampened with warm water to soften the remaining sheet of tofu skin, spread it on a board, and trim the edges. Spread the stir-fried tofu skin pieces evenly over the sheet, then sprinkle the stir-fried mushroom slices on top. Roll it up into a cylinder about 3.3 cm in diameter and press flat by hand. Wrap the tofu skin roll tightly in a piece of clean coarse cloth and steam over boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool, then unwrap and cut the roll into 1 cm thick slices.
4
Frying and Braising
Clean an iron wok and place it on the heat. Pour in the peanut oil and heat to about 50% hot (around 150°C/300°F). Fry the tofu skin roll slices one by one until golden brown, then remove and drain. Discard the oil and return the wok to the heat. Add the fresh broth along with 150g soy sauce, 15g sugar, cooking wine, the remaining MSG, ginger, and all the spices. Bring to a boil, then add the fried tofu skin rolls. Move to low heat and braise until the rolls absorb the flavors, and arrange them on a plate. In a separate pot, combine the remaining braising liquid with sesame oil, bring to a boil, and pour it over the plated dish to serve.
