Stuffed Tofu
Ingredients
48 ounces firm tofu
3 tablespoons canola oil, for shallow frying
STUFFING
20 ounces firm tofu
10 medium dried wood ear mushrooms, rehydrated in warm water, squeezed dry, and then finely chopped
2 ounces bean thread noodles
45 ml chopped leek (white part and some green part of leek, finely chopped)
1 tablespoon agar powder
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mushroom seasoning
Direction
Prepare the filling:
- Soak the glass noodles in warm water for 2 minutes, then drain and roughly chop into ½-inch long segments.
- Soak wood ear mushrooms in warm water for 5 minutes, then drain and finely chop.
- Rinse tofu, pat dry, and then use a wooden spoon to mash tofu into a paste.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the mashed tofu, glass noodles, wood ear mushrooms, leeks, agar powder, salt, black pepper and mushroom seasoning. Set aside.
Prepare the tofu:
- Cut tofu into pieces about 2“x2“x1.5“ .
- Using a small knife, cut a 1.5 inch slit in each tofu piece to create a “pocket“ that is about 1 inch deep.
- With a small spoon, carefully push about 1 teaspoon of filling into the pocket of each tofu. Try to round the top part of the tofu like a dome while keeping the bottom flat. Once you are done with stuffing all the tofu, they are ready to be cooked.
- Steam the stuffed tofu in a steamer for 20 minutes. Let the tofu cool down.
- Fry the steamed stuffed tofu in oil on tall sides until golden brown. Remove from the pan and serve.