I love eating tofu – be it silken or firm; deep-fried, braised or steamed; smelly or non-smelly! But finding tofu overseas (in non-Asian countries) can be really difficult. For the first few months when I’m here, I only saw tofu packed in paper boxes that don’t need to be refrigerated, which looks really weird. As it was also very expensive, I didn’t dare to buy and try it out. Then when we visited another supermarket that’s further away from our house, we managed to find fresh tofu imported from Singapore! What a joy! But it also came with a hefty price tag – at almost SGD 3.60 per packet (which is almost 4 times the price in Singapore)! So whenever we saw a promotion on the tofu, we would definitely sweep a few and stock up.
One of the tofu dishes I sorely miss is my mom’s braised tau kwa. It’s a very simple, easy and comforting dish that goes well with either rice or porridge. Even though it’s called “braised”, it does not need the preparation of any braising sauce or long hours of braising, which makes this dish perfect for a weeknight meal. Instead, a simple sauce with just water, light and dark soy sauce is used which is then thickened with a little corn starch. Minced pork is added to make this a one-dish meal but you may omit it you are a vegetarian. The thickened gravy is perfect to drizzle onto rice or adding more flavour into a bowl of plain porridge.
For those who have not cooked with tofu before, tau kwa is extra firm tofu with the most amount of water pressed out as compared to other types of tofu. In Chinese, it’s known as dou gan (豆干). It has a firm texture, somewhat like meat, and has a rubbery feel on the outside. It can be deep-fried or stir-fried as it holds its shape well. By weight, tau kwa has a greater bean to water ratio than silken tofu, which translates to more protein per gram (i.e. more nutritious!) If you are new to tofu, check out this Ultimate Tofu Guide by Thrive Cuisine!
My mom told me that packaged tau kwa, as compared to fresh ones sold in wet markets, can taste really rubbery and a tad too firm, so to counter this, I rubbed in a little salt which helps make the tau kwa softer. If you have the chance to get your hands on some tau kwa, why not try making this quick, easy, delicious and nutritious dish at home?
Step-by-Step Photos
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| 1) Combine minced pork, light soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine and white pepper together in a small bowl and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes. | 2) Pat-dry tau kwa with paper towels. Slice it into half then into 1/2-inch thick pieces. |
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| 3) Sprinkle salt all over the tau kwa and rub it in gently. Set aside for 10 minutes. | 4) Heat oil in a frying pan add in the taw kwa pieces in a singly layer. |
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| 5) Pan-fry the tau kwa until golden-brown on both sides. Remove the tau kwa and set aside. | 6) Add in garlic and minced pork and cook until pork is no longer pink. |
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| 7) Add the tau kwa back into the frying pan. | 8) Add in water… |
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| 9) … Followed by light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Bring to a boil simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, flipping the tau kwa occasionally so that the colour is even on all sides. | 10) Add corn starch mixture into the frying pan to thicken the sauce. |
Quick Braised Tau Kwa (Firm Tofu) with Minced Pork
INGREDIENTS
Pork Mixture
- 150 grams minced pork
- ½ tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 dash ground white pepper
Tau Kwa
- 200 grams tau kwa / firm tofu, about 1 piece
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 125 ml water
- ½ tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon water
- Chopped spring onion and/or coriander, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pork Mixture: Combine all the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Tau Kwa: Pat-dry tau kwa with paper towels. Slice it into half then into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Sprinkle salt all over the tau kwa and rub it in gently. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add in the oil. Swirl the frying pan then add in the tau kwa pieces in a singly layer. Turn the heat down to medium and pan-fry the tau kwa until golden-brown. Flip onto the other side and pan-fry until golden-brown as well. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the tau kwa into a bowl and set aside.
- Without cleaning the pan, add in the garlic and pan-fry until golden on all sides. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add in the Pork Mixture. Cook until the pork is no longer pink, breaking up the minced pork into small pieces. Add the tau kwa back into the frying pan, then stir in water, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, flipping the tau kwa occasionally so that the colour is even on all sides.
- Dissolve corn starch and water in a small bowl and add into the frying pan to thicken the sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with chopped spring onion and/or coriander and serve with porridge or rice.
NOTES
- Rubbing salt into the tau kwa helps to make the tau kwa softer.
Terri says
Hi! Jawline, your braised bean curb recipe has been a great help to me. It’s a simple dish. It has solved my problem to cook a proper and delicious braised bean curb.
Jasline N. says
Hi Terri! I’m so happy this recipe worked for you, this is one of my favourites! 🙂
Theresa Tan says
This is BRILLIANT! I am on a rice-free diet and I made this for dinner last night. Delicious with chilli padi!! Thanks for the recipe!
Jasline N. says
You are welcome Theresa! Glad you like it!
Nagi@RecipeTinEats says
Mom’s recipes are totally the best! I love tofu! And this recipe is something I would really love to eat too!
ChgoJohn says
I have so little experience cooking with tofu, Jasline, that it’s good to see a delicious recipe that uses it. If Mom makes it, it just has to be good. 🙂
Jasline N. says
Hi John, I totally agree with you, mom’s recipes are the best 🙂 Tofu is not a common ingredient in Italian cuisine, but I’d love to see how you would use it, I’m always learning so much from you!
Sharon D. says
Aww…now I’m feeling nostalgic. I love dishes like these. Reminds me of home. Can’t wait to try this recipe out, Jasline! ^.^
Jasline N. says
Awwww… you are making me miss home too Sharon! Let me know how this dish goes for you!
Maggie | Omnivore's Cookbook says
This is such a comforting dish! I love the way you serve it, with a big bowl of congee. Great to know about rubbing salt on the tofu before cooking. I will need to try this out soon.
Jasline N. says
Thank you for the compliments Maggie! I love with it with either congee or steamed rice, both are perfect with this because of the gravy! 😉 Let me know if rubbing salt on the tofu works for you!
Mir says
It’s really easy to find all kinds of tofu here in the States, but I would never go for the kind that comes in boxes and is non-perishable. Ick!
This recipe looks perfect. I really love tofu!
Jasline N. says
Thanks Mir! Now that’s one more reason why I will not go for boxed tofu. Hope you will like this dish!
Heather @ Sweet Precision says
Your dish looks delicious Jasline! I’ve always been hesitant to try cooking tofu myself because I’m unsure of what technique to use. You make it look easy and effortless 🙂
Jasline N. says
Hi Heather, thank you so much for your sweet words! Do get the right tofu for this recipe as those soft / silken ones will break apart too easily. Hope I’ll be able to share more tofu recipes here so you can give them a try! 🙂
Amelia says
Hi Jasline, your braised tau kwa look very appetizing. Tau kwa my favorite, can practically eat this 5 times a week. Excellent pictures.
Best regards.
Amelia
Jasline N. says
Thank you so much Amelia! Wow 5 times a week!! I want to know more ideas on how to cook tau kwa, please share with me! 🙂