Ingredients
- 300g (1 package) soft tofu
- About ⅓ of a carrot, julienned (I use a julienne peeler)
- 5 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- ¼ small bell pepper, julienned
- 4 slices ginger, julienned
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced on a sharp bias
Sauce
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp tao jiew (Thai fermented soybean paste), or 1 Tbsp miso paste
- 1 ½ Tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 ½ tsp brown sugar
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
Instructions
Preheat the steamer so the water is on a full boil; make sure you add plenty of water so it doesn't dry out.
Combine all sauce ingredients and stir to dissolve the sugar.
Unmold the tofu onto a deep, heat resistant plate. Spread ginger juliennes on top of tofu. Set aside.
Heat a little vegetable oil in a wok over medium high heat, then add mushrooms and spread them out so the pieces are in one layer; let it sear until browned. Once the underside is brown, toss the mushrooms so most of them flip over, and let them cook for another 30 seconds or so.
Add carrot, bell peppers and a scant tablespoon of the sauce and saute until the mushrooms are fully cooked and the vegetables are softened slightly, 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in a pinch of the green onions. Place into a small bowl and set aside.
Pour all of the remaining sauce over the tofu. Place the tofu in the steamer and steam on a rolling boil for 7-9 minutes until hot all the way through (if you're not sure whether the inside is hot, you can insert a thin paring knife into the center of the tofu and leave it there for about 3 seconds, then pull it out and feel the blade whether it is hot or not).
Turn off the heat, open the steamer, and you'll notice there is a lot more liquid in the sauce now, and the sauce should be diluted to the perfect saltiness. But, if this is your first time making it, you can taste the sauce and adjust it as needed—add a little more water if it's too salty, or add a splash of soy sauce if it feels too bland. Remember this will get paired with the mild-flavoured tofu, so don't make the sauce too mild!
Once the sauce is as you like it, with the tofu still in the steamer, add vegetables on top and around the tofu. Top with remaining green onions then close the steamer lid for 30-45 seconds and use the residual steam to wilt the onion and warm up the vegetables. If there isn't much residual steam left, you can turn the heat back on.
Serve with some jasmine rice. Enjoy!