Hong Kong-Style Tofu

My first attempt at Hong Kong Tofu- Yunnan, China

When I lived in China I cooked--a lot. This was a result, I think, of being a vegetarian, having amazing fresh veggies/eggs/noodles/tofu at my disposal, needing to make sure most things I ate were cooked so as to avoid disease, and having simultaneously too much and too little free time on my hands. Cooking was, essentially, a slightly hectic equivalent of a stress ball. I could easily maintain control of it (most of the time), it provided some challenge,and it helped me relax.

My time in China was amazing, but it was also the most personally and professionally-challenging year I've experienced. I guess that's a big part of what made it so amazing. I'm still sorting through what I got out of my time in Yunnan and how the person I am now differs from the person I was last summer.

A market in Kunming, Yunnan, China

 My American co-worker last year, Mark, split his childhood between Rochester, NY, and Hong Kong. His father is a Hong Kong native, and although Mark always attended international school, at home he experienced a lot of Hong Kong culture, including his father's cooking. It took months and months of cajoling to get Mark to finally make Hong Kong Tofu for our middle school's team. Being the cooking geek I was, I stood behind him in his improvised kitchen, watching as he tossed marinated tofu from the wok into the air, jealous of his ability to somehow catch it all again instead of watching it splatter to the cement floor. (His advice, courtesy of his father: practice tossing cubes of bread first-- they're easy to clean up.)

The next day, I rode my bike into town, visited my "tofu lady" at the market, and bought a piece with which to attempt to recreate Mark's recipe. Of all the foods I miss from China, none perhaps matches my wish for freshly-made tofu. I'd eat the stuff raw. When I got back to the States and bought my first American tofu in over a year, the spongy texture and absolutely flavorless palette were almost more than I could take. I've readjusted, but, alas, I fear no tubbed grocery strore tofu can possibly match up to the majesty that is freshly-cut market tofu.

Well, I'll stop the China talk for the time being. Stick with this blog and you'll doubtless encounter more. Or you can check out my old China blog: http://anamericaninheqing.blogspot.com. For now, on to Mark's recipe (keeping in mind that neither he nor I was in possession of anything resembling measuring cups/spoons. This is all very approximate):

Ingredients (for marinade)
-1 standard package tofu, drained and pressed
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-2 TBS rice vinegar
-2 TBS rice wine
-2 TBS sesame oil
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 inch piece ginger, minced or grated

Marinating Tofu

-1 tsp. sugar or honey
-hot pepper powder to taste


Marinade Procedure: Pretty simple. Whisk all ingredients but the tofu together. Slice tofu into cubes and place in a wide, shallow dish. Add the marinade, flip tofu pieces a bit, and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for at least a couple hours at room temperature, or (preferably) place in the fridge all day or overnight. It's worth tasting a piece or two of tofu an hour or so in to check for flavor balance. Add more of anything you like. 


Ingredients (other)
-1 TBS vegetable oil
-1 bunch of scallions, whites and greens chopped
-2 tsp. cornstarch
-1/4 cup water (plus more, if needed)


Procedure
-Heat the vegetable oil in the wok over medium-high and use a slotted spoon or spatula to place the tofu in the wok, leaving the bulk of the marinade in the dish. 
-Use a spatula or wok utensil to toss the tofu. You're not aiming for crispy here, but you do want it to get nice and hot.
-After a few minutes, remove the tofu to a plate or bowl, leaving the wok on the heat. Pour the water into the wok and add the cornstarch, letting the flavors crystalize as the sauce thickens slightly. 
-Add the tofu back in, along with the scallions and some of the marinade. You can continue to add all of the marinade if it's not flavorful enough. If it's too flavorful, you can add a bit more water to dilute it. 
-Continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until the sauce is nicely thickened--this definitely isn't a soupy dish. Any excess liquid will evaporate as you cook, or if you're in a hurry you can add a bit more cornstarch. 
-Serve over rice. For a more complete meal, add another stir-fried vegetable or two.

Hong Kong Tofu in Columbus, GA (with rice, bok choy, asparagus, and jasmine tea)