Braised Tofu with Pork, Garlic, and Pickled Chili

Although braising is typically associated with long, slow cooking of tough cuts of meat, in the case of tofu it usually refers to briefly simmering chunks of tofu in a flavorful sauce. While there are countless braised tofu preparations out there, this is definitely one of my favorites. Everything comes together quickly so it makes a great weeknight dinner with some steamed rice and maybe some stir-fried greens.

Procedure

Preparing this dish is quite simple. Soft tofu is coated in corn starch, pan-fried until a crust forms, and then simmered in a slightly sweet and sour sauce that contains ground pork, garlic, ginger, pickled chilies, soy sauce, and black vinegar. The sauce is more or less in the “fish-fragrant” flavor profile of Sichuan cuisine (no, it does not contain any fish) and therefore goes very well with other Sichuan dishes.

Pan-frying the tofu with a coating of starch gives the finished dish a really pleasant mouthfeel. The starch is initially crispy when it is fried but then it softens when simmered in the sauce. The result is tofu that is completely enveloped in a thin, soft skin that is quite a pleasure to eat. If you prefer more texture, you could coat the tofu in a thicker layer of corn starch by letting the tofu pieces sit in the corn starch for a few minutes before frying. The thicker layer of starch will stay crispy even after being simmered in the sauce.

Ingredients

I like to use soft tofu for this recipe because I think the texture really lends itself to the flavor of the sauce. That being said, you could use any type of tofu you prefer and it will be equally delicious. Soft tofu requires you to be a bit more careful when flipping or stirring the tofu as it can break easily. Medium and firm tofus will be a bit easier to work with.

When it comes to the pork, I like to hand chop a fattier cut like shoulder or belly. I prefer the rustic, coarse texture that you achieve by hand chopping but you could also use store-bought ground pork in a pinch.. If you have a helpful butcher, they may be able to coarsely grind some pork for you … if you ask nicely.

I usually use a Thai brand of pickled red bird chili for this recipe but you could use any other spicy pickled chili for this dish. Just try to avoid overly sweet pickled chilies if possible.

Goes well with:

• Steamed Jasmine rice
• Stir-fried romaine lettuce with chili and garlic

Braised tofu with pork, garlic, and pickled chili

Ian Benites

A quick delicious tofu dish that goes very well with rice.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  

• 1 block soft tofu (approximately 400 grams)
• 2.5 oz piece of pork belly or shoulder (can substitute ground pork)
• 3 scallions
• 3-4 Tbsp chopped garlic (8 cloves)
• 1.5 Tbsp chopped pickled red thai bird chili (about 8 chilies)
• 2 Tbsp chopped ginger (about a 1-inch piece of ginger)
• 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
• corn starch, as needed
• vegetable oil, as needed

Sauce

• 2.5 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp Chinkiang vinegar AKA black vinegar
• 1.5 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 7 Tbsp water

Slurry

• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 3 Tbsp water

Instructions

 

Slurry

• Stir 1 Tbsp corn starch with 3 Tbsp water and set aside.

Sauce

• Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside

Braised Tofu

• Slice the block of tofu in half lengthwise and then into 14 square pieces
  
• Place the tofu squares on paper towels and cover with a few paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Set tofu aside on the paper towels while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
  
• Thinly slice the scallions and separate the whites from the greens. You should yield approximately 1/3 cup of each. Set whites and greens aside separately.
  
• Thinly slice the pork.
  
• Chop the slices of pork to yield a course "ground pork". Set pork aside
  
• Make sure you have all of your ingredients cut and measured before beginning to cook.
  
• Heat a large flat saute pan or wok over medium heat and add a thin layer of oil. Fill a bowl with about a cup of corn starch and keep it near the pan that is warming up.
  
• When the oil is hot, carefully dunk two pieces of the tofu into the corn starch, flipping them and coating both sides with starch. Be careful as the tofu is very delicate and will want to break.
  
• Carefully tap the two pieces of tofu together to knock off excess starch.
  
• Carefully add the tofu to the hot pan. Repeat this with the rest of the tofu. Cook over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes or until the first side gets golden brown and crisp. Adjust heat as necessary to crisp up the tofu without burning it.
  
• Carefully flip tofu and cook on the other side until golden brown and crispy. Add more oil to pan if necessary.
  
• Remove the tofu from the pan and place on paper towels.
  
• Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and add a bit of fresh oil. Heat over medium to medium-high heat. Add the ground pork to the pan.
  
• Break up the pork and cook for about one minute or until cooked through.
  
• Add the garlic, ginger, pickled chilies and scallion whites (the scallion greens will be used for garnish later).
  
• Cook for about one minute while stirring. Garlic and ginger should soften but not get too much color. If pan is dry, add a touch more oil.
  
• Add the sauce to the pan along with the white pepper.
  
• After adding sauce, immediately add the cooked tofu to the pan.
  
• This is now the most crucial point in the cooking process. Simmer the tofu in the sauce for about 30 seconds. If the liquid is reducing too quickly, add a few additional spoonfuls of water to maintain the amount of sauce in the pan. While the tofu is simmering, use a spoon to stir the slurry as the starch will likely have settled at the bottom of the container. Slowly add about 1/4 of the slurry to the pan and gently stir the sauce around to let the slurry mix into the sauce and cook. The sauce should thicken slightly. If the liquid is evaporating too quickly, feel free to keep adding spoonfuls of water to the pan. Add more slurry, little by little, to the sauce until it coats the tofu nicely. You will probably only need to use about half of the slurry. Keep adjusting the sauce by adding slurry and/or water until you get a nice thick sauce that clings to the tofu.
  
• Carefully flip the tofu in order to coat both sides with sauce. Make final adjustments of the consistency of the sauce. Season with additional soy sauce, vinegar, or sugar if necessary.
  
• Place tofu on a plate and garnish with the scallion greens. Serve with steamed rice.