Red Cooking Tofu
It's been a couple of bad days. We've been on the road for weeks now, as you probably know--and came home to 1) a dead stove (no way to turn the oven on), 2) a broken dishwasher (a nice leak all over the kitchen floor, staining it for a week), and 3) a phone company snafu of epic proportions. They shut off our phone! Their error, a keying error, trying to shut off another phone. But it means they also shut off our internet. The phone's back on now after much screaming but they're telling us it'll be a week before they can turn the DSL back on. Somehow, they were able to shut it off in 24 hours but can't turn it on for over a week.
Which means I have a ton of work and no way to do it--except driving an hour (I live really, really rurally) to a Starbucks, where I'm sitting right now, online, trying to get all my work done in the thrumming drone of a zillion conversations.
Sigh.
Times like these, I need comfort food. Much comfort food.
Which for me often means tofu. I love it! I know: me, a carnivore of ravenous proportions. But there's something so delicious, soft, and comforting about tofu, particularly in a deep braise. Here's a real secret: often, I'd rather have it than mac-and-cheese.
Do you have any secrets like that? Comfort foods that most people think aren't? I'd love to hear about them.
But for now, on to the tofu, done in the classic Chinese braise.
First, heat a tablespoon or two of almond or peanut oil in a deep saucepan or a sauté pan set over medium heat. Don't use a flavorless oil. Why? Add flavor at every level!
Next, drop in half a shredded red onion, four or five thinly sliced celery ribs, and a few shredded carrots.
Shredded? Bruce used a mandoline. Fancy guy. He loves his gadgets. Sometime, I'll tell you about how he's always yelling at me because I won't let him use his cheffy stuff when he's recipe-testing for the books. Anyway, you could use the shredding blade to the food processor--or the large holes of a box grater.
Stir these over the heat for a while, then add a couple minced garlic cloves, maybe about 1 tablespoon worth of the stuff.
Let it get aromatic for a few seconds, then pour in 1 cup water plus all these Chinese condiments: 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger, 1 tablespoon bottled hoi sin sauce (Bruce's little addition to the standard), 1 tablespoon bottled Chinese chile paste, 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar (a light, sweet vinegar--if you don't have it, use 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce), and 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar.
This is the best of Chinese cooking: the ability to create deep, complex flavors with some bottled condiments. Is it real food? You bet! Buy high-quality brands that can become pantry staples and offer lots of flavor per bite without added corn syrup or thickeners.
Stir that around until everything's good and mixed up, then add 12 ounces cubed silken firm tofu. (Or silken extra firm.) It's delicate stuff, so gently stir it into the simmering sauce. Cover the pot, drop the heat to low, and simmer very slowly for 15 minutes to blend the flavors.
You're almost done! Whisk 2 teaspoons potato starch, corn starch, or arrowroot into 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl, then stir this into the stew. It will thicken almost instantly at a low bubble. And it's ready to go. A pot of brown rice on the side, of course. Or white. Either way, it's good comfort. And real food!
Mark Scarbrough | Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 4:01PM | in Bruce's Asian Obsession, Comfort Food, Main Courses, Vegetarian braise, braised tofu, red cooking, red cooking tofu, tofu
Reader Comments (9)
How horrible! I'll think of this time next time I'm feeling grouchy about the amount of time I've spent in this serviced apartment--at least I can call the handyman and the utilities are someone else's responsibility for the moment! My especial condolences on the phone/DSL snafu--been there! Remember the old SNL skit? "We don't care! We don't have to! We're the phone company!"
It's funny, this one. I'm Chinese, and I often look at packaged Chinese sauces and think, "gee there's a lot of crap in there". And there's often all sorts of dodgy preservatives and stuff which isn't listed on the ingredients list. But you get stuck, because you just can't cook Chinese food without bottled sauces - you need soy, hoisin, vinegar etc. My approach is to try and buy reputable brands, look at what's in them and where they're manufactured and then just accept it. Which I have to do, because I adore tofu, particularly in the way you've made it! :)
Hi Mark,
Can't wait to try this -- so simple! Any suggestions on a good brand of chili paste, and where to find it?
Thanks!
Hey, all. Traveling at the moment. In NYC to be on Martha radio, to tape NPR, and other things. But I'll be back with answers on Friday at the latest. And yes, Celia, you're right: caveat emptor when it comes to bottled sauces of any sort, Chinese or not.
M.
Oh! Your mapo dofou dish (hoping I spelled that correctly) is one of our absolute favorites! I make it frequently. I cannot wait to try this one soon! Thank you for posting!!!
Jeanette: Ours, too! Thanks for the note. We love it--and love when the pork ever so gently flavors the tofu with that porcine goodness without overwhelming it.
M.
Sorry about your troubles, they sound less than fun. This recipe looks amazing though. I'm a pescatarian who isn't particularly experienced with tofu so I'll be trying this soon.
How would adding mushrooms affect it?
Bethany: They'd add lots of good flavor. Bruce suggests using dried Chinese mushrooms: bringing water to a boil, pour it over the mushrooms, letting them soak 20 minutes, then draining and reserving that soaking liquid to use it instead of water in the dish. More flavor for sure. Although do be careful--the soaking water may be sandy from the mushrooms. If so, strain it through cheesecloth first.
And welcome here to the blog! I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts.
Mark
I'm with you - for some reason, I crave tofu more strongly and more often than a burger, a steak, or bacon. Maybe it's because no one else in my house likes tofu, so it's a dish I can eat and make just as I want it? And now you have me craving it again.