Panfried Tofu With Chinese Black Bean Sauce Recipes

TOFU WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE - 豉汁豆腐

Steps:

• Cut the tofu into ¼-inch thick squares. Pat each piece of tofu dry with a paper towel, and set aside.
• Place a clean wok or cast iron skillet over high heat until it just starts to smoke. This is an important step to prevent the tofu from sticking. Turn the heat down to medium, and add 2 tablespoons of oil to coat your pan. Pan-fry the tofu on both sides until lightly golden brown. Turn off the heat, and transfer the tofu to a plate.
• Over medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of oil to your wok, along with the garlic, black beans, the white parts of the scallions, and the chopped chilies. Depending on how hot your chilies are, as well as your own tolerance for spice, you may want to use more or fewer chilies--or none at all. I used 7 dried chilies, de-seeded.
• Stir and cook everything for a minute, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add in the tofu, the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, sugar, and the green parts of the scallions.
• Stir-fry gently so as to not break up the tofu. When the mixture is bubbling, stir your cornstarch mixture to ensure that the cornstarch is completely dissolved.
• Then add it to the wok, stirring gently and quickly until the sauce has thickened and evenly coats the tofu. Serve immediately!

PANFRIED TOFU WITH CHINESE BLACK BEAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Rinse the tofu, then cut crosswise into 6 slices. Put slices between several layers of paper towels and let drain while making the sauce. (You'll likely have to replace the paper towels at least once.)
• Prep the seasonings for the sauce: Peel the garlic cloves and the ginger, then quarter the ginger. Turn on your food processor and drop the garlic and ginger through the feed tube; they'll be minced in no time. Stop the machine and the black beans in a small sieve until the water runs clear. Add them to the food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
• For the liquid portion of the sauce, stir together the water, soy sauce, Sherry, maple syrup, vinegar, and the cornstarch until the cornstarch is evenly suspended. Now you're ready to cook the sauce!
• Generously film the bottom of a heavy 2-quart saucepan with the vegetable oil and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir-fry the seasonings until fragrant, less than a minute. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the pan. Whisk the sauce occasionally while bringing it to a boil and simmer 1 minute. Then set the sauce aside while you fry the tofu.
• Generously film the bottom of a 12-inch nonstick skillet with vegetable oil and heat over high heat until hot but not smoking. Blot up any excess moisture on the tofu with a paper towel before laying in the skillet. Fry the slices on all sides (forgo the short ends), turning them only when the undersides are golden and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes total. (You may need to lower the heat as the frying progresses.) Give the tofu one last flip on a paper towel to sop up any stray oil and reheat the sauce.
• Serve with rice and broccoli, pouring sauce over all.

CHINESE EGGPLANT AND TOFU IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Coat eggplant cubes in flour.
• Fry in oil 4 minutes.
• Add tofu; fry for 4 minutes until golden.
• Add black bean sauce to coat.
• Done.

STIR-FRIED TOFU AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS IN SPICY BLACK BEAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Place mushrooms in large bowl. Pour 3 cups boiling water over; let soak until mushrooms soften, at least 25 minutes and up to 4 hours. Drain. Cut off stems and discard; finely chop caps.
• Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons vegetable broth in 2-cup measuring cup. Stir in remaining broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and salt.
• Heat oil in heavy large wok or nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot. Add mushrooms; stir-fry until browned, about 3 minutes. Add leek; stir-fry until beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add black beans, ginger, garlic, chili-garlic sauce, and peppercorns; stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir cornstarch mixture to blend, then stir into vegetable mixture. Add tofu; toss gently to coat with sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.
• Spoon tofu mixture into serving bowl. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
• *Available at Asian markets and specialty foods stores and in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets.