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This is the dish to make when the fridge is nearly empty. Firm tofu, a couple of spring onions or a leek, soy sauce, and ten minutes. It's a standard northern Chinese home dish and it turns up on tables several nights a week.
The one non-obvious thing is that the tofu is torn into pieces rather than cut. Rough, broken surfaces hold dramatically more sauce than a clean knife cut, because all those craggy edges catch the glaze.
Tear the Tofu
Break the block into rough 3 cm pieces with your hands or a spoon. The ragged surfaces are the whole point.
Firm or 'old' tofu is what you want. Silken will disintegrate when you fry it; extra-firm works but stays slightly rubbery in a braise like this.
Don't press it for hours the way Western recipes often instruct. A twenty-minute drain is plenty, and over-pressed tofu loses the moisture that makes this dish pleasant.
Spring Onions, or a Leek
Proper versions use large northern Chinese scallions — essentially young leeks with a long white shaft. Cut them into 3 cm batons and let them soften in the pan until they're sweet rather than raw.
Outside China, a small leek is the closest substitute and works very well. Regular spring onions are fine too, though they'll collapse faster, so add them later.
One Bowl, Added All at Once
Unlike a stir-fry where you season in stages, this dish gets its sauce mixed in a bowl and poured over the browned tofu in one go. Then it reduces in the pan while the tofu absorbs it.
Soy sauce, a little dark soy for color, oyster sauce for body, a pinch of sugar and white pepper, starch, and water. Stir before pouring — the starch settles.
Let it bubble until the sauce is glossy and clinging. It happens fast, and the tofu needs to come off the heat while there's still a little sauce left in the pan.
Scallion-Braised Tofu (Cong Shao Doufu)
Ingredients
- 1 block (about 400 g) firm tofu, torn into rough 3 cm pieces
- 2 large spring onions or 1 small leek, cut into 3 cm batons
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- Pinch of white pepper
- 1 tbsp potato or corn starch
- 6 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- Steamed rice, to serve
Directions
- Whisk the soy sauces, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper, starch, and water in a bowl until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. Add the tofu pieces in a single layer and leave them undisturbed for 3-4 minutes until the undersides are golden.
- Turn the pieces and brown the other sides, another 3-4 minutes. Don't worry about being gentle; broken bits are fine.
- Push the tofu up one side of the pan and add the spring onion batons to the cleared space. Let them sit for a minute until they soften and smell sweet.
- Stir the sauce again, pour it over everything, and toss gently to combine.
- Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and coats the tofu, about 2 minutes. Serve hot with rice.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Notes
Tearing rather than cutting the tofu is not laziness — the rough surfaces hold several times more sauce.
A small leek is the best substitute for Chinese large scallions. Use the white and light green parts and slice them into batons.
For a vegan version, replace the oyster sauce with a vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce, which is widely available and nearly indistinguishable here.
Leftovers reheat poorly in the microwave; use a pan with a splash of water over low heat.
Adapted from a home recipe on xiachufang.com.
