My Cooking Journal 7 - Steam Tofu with minced pork and prawn

Tofu is an excellent choice of ingredients to cook in term of cost and health benefits. It is relatively inexpensive and contains good source of high quality vegetable protein and calcium. It is also low in saturated fat and contains zero cholesterol. Tofu with soft texture is a perfect food for elderly and toddlers as it is easy to chew and digest. 

Types of tofu available:

1. Firm Tofu – dense and solid and is higher in protein, fat and calcium than the soft type. Suitable for deep fry, stir fry and braise.
2. Soft Tofu – provide lesser protein compare to firm and silken type but is high in fat and calcium,  suitable for steaming, pureed or in soups. 
3. Silken Tofu – Provide equivalent amount of protein with soft tofu and is low in fat and calcium. Suitable for all cooking methods as mentioned above. 

Buying and Storing of Tofu:

You can purchase tofu from any local grocery stores or wet market. Please remember to check the expiration date on the package.

When you open the tofu package and there is leftover. You can keep the leftover in a storage box and covered with fresh water. However, the leftover must be rinsed with water prior storage. Do remember to change the water daily to maintain its freshness and use up the leftover within a week.  

Here, I am going to introduce a fast and easy cooking dish - 'Steam Tofu with minced pork and prawn'. It only takes 20 minutes to cook including preparation time. Hope you will like it!

  

Ingredients:

1. 1 box Silken White tofu (300g) - Cut into cubes or can also subsittude with egg tofu
2. 50g minced pork
3. 4 pieces medium size prawn - Use a pounder to pound into paste form 
4. 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

5. 

   Silken Tofu Block

   1 tablespoon fish sauce
6. 2 teaspoon sesame oil
7. 1 stalk spring onion (diced)
8. Small pinch of pepper
9. 1 teaspoon white sugar
10. 1 teaspoon corn flour

Ingredient (A) - Sauce:

1. 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 
2. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
3. Pinch of white sugar
4. Small pinch of pepper

In a small bowl, mixed together all the above.

Ingredient (B) - Marinade minced pork & prawn paste:

1. 50g minced pork
2. Prawn paste (4 pieces of prawn pounded/chopped into paste form)
3. 1 tablespoon fish sauce
4. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
5. Pinch of white sugar
6. 1/2 stalk chopped spring onions
7. Small pinch of pepper
8. 1 teaspoon corn flour

Others ingredients can also be included:

2 pieces dried mushroom (diced) - must soak in water till soften, then diced (Optional)

2 pieces water chestnut (diced) - peel skin and diced it. (Optional)

In a small bowl, mixed together all the above.

Methods:

1. Marinate ingredient (B) in a small bowl, mixed well and set aside. Cut Tofu block into cubes. Arrange them on a steaming plate.
2. Mixed ingredient (A) in a small bowl and set aside. It serves as the sauce.
3. Use your hand to roll/mound ingredient (B) into small round ball. Placed each small ball on top of the tofu cubes. Then slightly use your finger lightly pressed the ball to ensure they can sit well on tofu cubes. The ingredient (B) will then look like a dome shape sitting on top of tofu cubes.  
4. Sprinkle ingredient (A) over each tofu cubes. 
5. Place a iron rack in the pot/wok. Heat your pot/wok with water over high heat. Once water boiled, place tofu dish on steam rack. Steam it for 7 minutes. 
6. Remove tofu from wok or pot.
7. Garnish with chopped spring onion or fried shallot.
8. Ready to serve.

A view of tofu dish after completing Method 1 to 4
(Note. The minced pork looks more pinky before cook and will turn 'white' when cooked.)