This is a recipe for a deep fried tofu Chinese dish called Hong Shao Tofu that I've been eating since I was a kid. It uses a super thin corn starch batter that gives the tofu more of a tender and toothsome bite to it, rather than a crispy tofu quality. I think this pairs really well with the leafy greens and mushrooms. It also holds a whole lot of nostalgia for me too, cause I used to eat this stuff when I was a kid a lot, since it has a lot of veggies, and my parents were constantly trying to get me to eat more vegetables. Hope you try it!
serves 2-3
INGREDIENTS (dry)
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp ginger (about 1 inch)
2 carrots
6 heads bok choy
1 lb firm tofu
4 shiitake mushrooms
INGREDIENTS (sauce)
corn starch slurry (2 tb corn starch and 2 tb water)
1 cup chicken stock
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)
2 tbsp shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar
pinch kosher salt
INGREDIENTS (breading)
1 egg
1 tbsp AP flour
1/3 cup AP flour
12 oz vegetable oil
PREP
CRUSH and mince the garlic, set aside
PEEL and mince the ginger, set aside
PEEL and slice the carrots on a bias, set aside
SLICE the bok choy into manageable pieces, set aside
SLICE the tofu into squares, set aside
REHYDRATE the shiitake mushrooms with boiling water, set aside
COMBINE all of the sauce ingredients and mix to combine, set aside
WHISK the egg together with 1 tb AP flour, then coat each tofu square in a layer of egg, followed by a layer of flour (the breading should be a fairly light coating)
ON THE STOVE
ADD 12 oz vegetable oil to a wok, and heat to 350F
GENTLY place each tofu square into oil and fry until golden brown
REMOVE oil from wok, add an additional 2 tb of vegetable oil, and heat the wok as hot as possible
SAUTE garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 30 seconds
ADD the carrots, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, tofu, and sauce to the wok, then toss to combine
BRAISE in the sauce for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat
SERVE over rice