Sharing these blocks of tofu stuffed with a mix of mushrooms and minced ‘meat’ in a thick gravy-like sauce.
See the recipe video below:
I grew up eating stuffed tofu, which we often had during family gatherings and celebrations. It’s a family favourite and the stuffed tofu we’d always have growing up is actually stuffed with shrimp. Though of course I made this Vegan Hakka-Style Stuffed Tofu and instead of the usual meat, I used a mix of mushrooms and minced ‘meat’, that I made from the tofu I scooped out.
My mom would always make sure the sauce is really hot before mixing the tofu in and serving the dish. The tofu absorbs the sauce really well, and I’d love to get extra sauce to pour over the rice and tofu once I slice it up.
The sauce would also sometimes come with some sliced mushrooms and bokchoy, but I decided to make mine plain for this recipe. I really enjoy mine with some chili garlic sauce for that extra heat and steamed rice!
You'll find the full recipe for this below!
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Vegan Hakka-Style Stuffed Tofu
Makes 16 stuffed tofu
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Blocks of tofu stuffed with a mix of mushrooms and minced ‘meat’ in a thick gravy-like sauce.
Ingredients
Tofu 4 (200g each) blocks extra firm tofu
Oil, for frying
Filling
200g tofu (scoops out from the tofu)
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil or other oil, for cooking
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped spring onions
1/4 cup finely diced mushrooms (from 5 pieces. dried shiitake) or other mushrooms of choice
1/2 large carrot, finely diced
1.5-2 tbsp soy sauce, or to taste
1 tsp dark soy sauce, optional for colour
1/4 tsp ground pepper
Cornstarch slurry
1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp room temp. water, mixed into a slurry
Thick sauce/gravy
1 3/4 cup water
1 tbsp soy sauce, feel free to adjust according to desired taste
1 1/2 tbsp sugar, feel free to adjust according to desired sweetness
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch diluted in 4 tbsp room temp. water
3/4 tsp salt, or to taste
For serving
Chili garlic sauce (homemade recipe here)
Chopped green onions
Steps
Watch here:
Preparing the mushrooms and tofu
Soak dried mushrooms in boiling hot water for at least 15 minutes. Best left to rehydrate overnight. Press tofu for at least 10 minutes to drain excess liquid. Afterwards, crumble the tofu with your hands.
Slice each block of tofu into 4 two-inch cubes. Carefully mark the tofu using a butter knife. Cut the sides, leaving at least a 1/2-inch border, and then remove the core of the tofu. You can do this by careful scooping it out using the teaspoon. Repeat for the rest of the tofu. Place the removed tofu cores in a bowl. Do not discard. Mash the tofu.
Preparing the filling
Heat a pan with some oil. Once hot, add in the garlic and onion. Saute until tender. Add in the mushrooms and carrots. Leave to cook for 3-4 minutes. Add in the mashed tofu (tofu removed from the core). Season with some soy sauce and pepper. Mix well. Leave to cook for 6-7 minutes over medium high heat, mixing every minute or so, until the tofu resembles minced meat.
Feel free to adjust seasoning depending on desired taste. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and mix well until the tofu filling starts to thicken and clump together. This will make the mixture firmer and will hold together better once stuffed in tofu.
Stuffing the tofu
Scoop around 2-3 teaspoons of the filling into the tofu. Carefully press down with your finger, while also supporting the sides of the tofu. Ensure that the filling is packed tight. Repeat for the rest of the tofu.
Cooking the tofu
Heat a pan with enough oil to submerge at least 1/3 of the tofu. Once hot, place the tofu filling down first. Leave to cook for 3-4 minutes over high heat, until golden brown.
Flip the tofu and cook the remaining sides until golden brown.
Once cooked on each side, set aside in a bowl.
Note: You can opt to deep fry the tofu to speed up the process.
Preparing the sauce
Remove oil from the frying pan. Over medium low heat, add in the the sauce ingredients except the cornstarch slurry and salt. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up heat to medium and leave to a boil. Leave to simmer over medium heat. While stirring, pour in the cornstarch slurry. Keep stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt. Feel free to adjust the seasoning based on your desired taste.
Turn off the heat. Pour sauce over the tofu. Garnish with some chopped green onions and add some chili garlic sauce, if desired. Enjoy while hot with some rice or noodles!
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