Steamed Tofu With Minced Prawn (蝦膠蒸釀豆腐)

Tofu is one of my favourite ingredients in Chinese cooking. Although it’s cheap and common, it could be served in an elegant way to impress my family and friends, just by adding a bit of prawn/shrimp meat paste.

Every time I have this dish, I love taking a close look at the springy prawn ball sitting on top of the silky smooth tofu before taking a big bite. It’s an incredible feeling that you can feel all the flavours bursting out in your mouth at the moment you bite them.

This is the silky tofu I used. You'd easily find it available at any Asian grocers. Normally this kind of products are stored in fridge. The texture is so delicate and smooth.

I used a food processor to make the prawn (shrimp) paste. Mix it with the marinade and give it a good stir before steaming with tofo.

This dish took less than 10 minutes to steam in a wok or a steamer. We couldn't wait to dig in once the dish was served on the dining table.

Printable recipe)
By Christine’s Recipes
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Yield: 2 to 3 serves

Ingredients:

• 200 gm prawn/shrimp meat
• 1 to 2 packets silky tofu

Marinade:

• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 2 tsp egg white
• white pepper, to taste

Seasonings:

• light soy sauce, to drizzle
• 2 tbsp hot cooking oil

Method:

1. Peel and devein the prawns. Rinse thoroughly and wipe dry with kitchen paper (as picture shown). In a food processor, put the prawn and marinade to process into a thick paste. If you want springy texture, transfer it into a mixing bowl, stirring with chop sticks towards one direction, either clockwise or anti-clockwise, until you feel it's really hard to stir further. Wet your hand with a bit of water, then pick up the prawn paste and throw against the bottom of mixing bowl many many times until the paste attains that springy texture.
2. Following the instructions of the package, remove the silky tofu from the packing. Cut the tofu into about 1.5 to 2cm thick pieces. Carefully place the tofu on a plate. Absorb excess water with kitchen paper. Lightly sprinkle cornflour on the surface of the tofu. Spoon prawn paste and arrange on the tofu.
3. Steam in a wok/steamer over high heat for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until the prawn paste is cooked through, changed into red in colour. Discard any excess water in the plate. Drizzle with seasonings. Serve hot.

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