Golden Braised Tofu with Tomatoes: The Ultimate dish deeply rooted in every Chinese's stomachs

Hi, folks. Today I am gonna to show you one of almost every Chinese's most favourite veggie dishes: Braised Tofu with Tomatoes.

Fun fact about tofu:

Unlike the local dishes across different provinces and event cities, Tofu (dòu fu, 豆腐), is one of the national cuisine over a long history. A saying can be traced back to around the 2nd century BC during the Western Han dynasty. Originally, Tofu was an unplanned invention by Liú Ān, a Chinese philosopher and prince of Huainan Kingdom. While Prince Liu was seeking to create elixirs of immortality, he discover a way to ground soybeans to soymilk and accidentally curdled the soymilk by adding nigari and thus created tofu.

Tofu is an important source of protein and nutrients. Meanwhile it is the ultimate substitute for meat, thus it gains especially popularities among the vegetarian and Asian cuisines in Buddhist regions. Because its mild taste and adaptable nature to absorb flavors, tofu is a versatile and valuable ingredient in a wide range of dishes in Chinese culinary repertoire. It can be used as both a main dish and a side dish in Chinese cuisines.

Tofu can be classified into various types based on different production methods, processing techniques and textures. For instance, Silken Tofu (绢豆腐), Soft Tofu (能豆腐),(Extra/Medium/Normal) Firm tofu (硬豆腐), Tofu Skin (豆腐皮), Dried Tofu (豆干), Tofu Pudding (豆腐花), Fermented Tofu (豆腐乳), Tofu Jerky (五香豆干), and hair beancurd (Mao tofu, 毛豆腐), etc. With various types of tofu, I can promise you that you can eat thousands types of dishes with tofu without same thing over a year :) . For example, century-egg with tofu, Mapo Tofu, Iron Plate Tofu, Crab Roe Tofu, Scallion Pan-fried Tofu, Oyster Sauce Silken Tofu, Fish-flavoured Tofu, Minced Meat Tofu, Shrimp Tofu Soup, Crispy Skin Tofu, Fish Head Tofu Stew, Steamed Tofu with Shrimp Paste, Pan-fried Crispy Tofu, Enoki Mushroom and Tofu Hot Pot, Scallion-braised Tofu, Tofu Wrapped in Egg, Stinky Tofu.

Until right now, I can't stop salivating. Let us go to the main point about the recipe of Braised Tofu with Tomatoes:

Braised Tofu with Tomatoes exemplifies the harmony of flavours and textures. With the golden crispy skin outside absorbing rich tomato-based sauce, and the ender texture inside, this dish has been one of the most favourite cuisine for every Chinese.

Get ready to transform humble tofu into a masterpiece of flavour and texture?! 

Prep & Cook Time: 3-5 min Difficulty Level: Low

Spice Level: Low Cook Within: 10 min

Ingredients

• 1 cup firm tofu cubes

• 1-0.5 tomato

• 1/2 inch ginger, 2-3 pieces (optional)

• 3 cloves garlic minced (optional)

• 1 chili (optional)

• 1-3 spring onion keep white and green part separated (optional)

Sauces

• ½ teaspoon sugar

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder (optional)

• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup

• Salt as per taste

• 1 cup water adjust to get the desired consistency

• 2 tbsp cooking oil

• 1 tbsp corn starch

Instructions

1. Prepare sauce mixtures

• In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, tomato ketchup, salt, water and corn starch

2. Chop chili, ginger and tomato into small pieces

3. Cooking

• Heat the oil in a skillet until you can see the bubbles when you dig a chopstick in the oil

• Fry the tofu. Watch as the tofu sizzles and dances, gradually transforming from pale cubes to beautifully golden nuggets in two sides

• Gently add the fiery red chilies and aromatic ginger slices into the waiting pan. It is a time to infuse our creation with a burst of vibrant flavours, as the chilies release their heat, and the ginger offers its warm and earthy essence to mingle with golden tofu

• Introduce ripe tomatoes into the golden tofu medley to continuing our symphony of flavours, where tanginess meets umami

• Pour the sauce mixtures into the pan and cook for another 1-2 minutes. This secret step will transforms the sauce into a velvety elixir that gently coats the tofu and make it more tender

• Finally decorate with green leaves

• Serve hot with couscous porridge or steamed rice

Note:

After you add the sauce mixtures into the pan, stir the elements to fully and lovingly envelops each piece of golden tofu. Meanwhile, this step should be continuously within 50 secs to prevent the pan getting sticky and burned because of the corn starch.

The moment of culinary triumph has arrived!   :) 

Imagine the satisfaction as you scoop up a generous portion, the tofu glistening with its savoury coat alongside a bowl of nourishing couscous porridge. The contrast between the crispy-tender tofu and the comforting, healthy couscous is a symphony of balance and delight for your healthy foodie life!

In the future, I will continue sharing more dishes with tofu :) . If you enjoyed my content, kindly remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more upcoming videos. Thank you for being a part of this journey!  ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ 

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