Thursday, October 17, 2013

Recipe: Braised tofu pok with mushrooms (Vegetarian)

Tofu pok 豆腐泡 (also known as tofu puff or tau pok) is a type of tofu which has been deep fried in oil until they are light and airy in the core. Its name literally means "bean bubble" describing the shape of the tofu as a bubble. Until early this year, I have only known of the cube tofu pok (which I am not too fond of) then we discovered another type of tofu pok which is thin and elongated in shape. We prefer this one as the texture is better in our opinion (less airy and more spongy) and it also absorbs sauces better when braised.

Braised tofu pok with mushrooms

This is a vegetarian dish which I really enjoyed. The tofu pok is braised with two types of mushrooms, enoki and bunashimeji. I used a vegetarian sauce to flavour the braising sauce - mushroom oyster flavoured sauce. Despite its name, it doesn't contain any oysters, but functions like oyster sauce to flavour the sauce / dish and is made of mushroom powder. The secret ingredient in this dish is the ginger wine - I feel that it elevates the taste of the sauce to the next level.



The next time you want to have a meat-free meal, try this braised tofu pok dish. You may find yourself going for a second helping of rice. :)





Braised tofu pok with mushrooms
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Serves 3-4

Ingredients
1 pack tofu pok
2 (100g) packs enoki mushrooms
50g bunashimeji mushrooms
1 1/2 tbsp mushroom sauce
1 tbsp cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
1 tsp ginger wine
1 spring onion, cut into 1 inch lengths

1. In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 1/2 minutes until lightly browned. Stir in the tofu pok and saute for 1 min.


The thinner version of tofu pok (beancurd puff)


2. Add the water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the ginger wine and season with mushroom sauce. Add the mushrooms and braise for 2-3 minutes, until cooked. Add the spring onions and give it a quick stir. Taste and season with more mushroom sauce, if necessary.

3. Serve in a bowl/claypot with rice.

Note: If you prefer less sauce, reduce water to 1/3 cup.




*I am submitting this to the Little Thumbs Up "Soy Beans" event organized by Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY and hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake. You can link your soy recipes here.


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32 comments:

  1. A delicious homey fare yet so simple! If only my sons love tofu but sadly they don't!

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    1. Hehe I think most kids dont like tofu. Surprisingly my daughter loves all types of tofu :)

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  2. Hi Baby Sumo, tofu puffs are my favourite. With mushrooms I believed they tasted sweet with mushroom flavours. Bookmarked this for my next vegetarian diet.

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    1. They're my mum's favorite too. Every week sure must eat once. :P

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  3. My mum used to cook something similar too, miss that so much. :)

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    1. You can try at home too, this is easy to make.

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  4. What a nutritious dish ~ I loves the mushrooms and the tofu pok. This dish itself can make me have another bowl of rice with the sauce too.

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    1. Yes yes! I always need to have extra rice when there is nice braising sauce like this.

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  5. I love this dish, especially the enoki mushroom!

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  6. i personally like tofu pok a lot because it actually tastes like animal protein t and a lot of times I use it to replace meat. This is one of those hearty comfort homemade dish I always enjoy. Thanks for the recipe. Great post!

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome! I never knew how to appreciate tofu pok until recently. Now we like having it once a week. :)

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  7. I like tofu pok but not my kids. I am not sure the wet markets here sell the thinner version. I also prefer them less airy.

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    1. I only like the cube ones if they are filled with fish paste. Hehe!

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  8. this would be another smash hit with my family, though again, our taste buds differ cos i'm not a fan of tofu pok or mushrooms. but it looks very appetizing nevertheless (one should accentuate the positives) :D

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    1. Hehe! Thanks anyhow Sean. (and it is a good trait to look on the positive side of things :D)

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  9. I love braised tofu pok, definitely my comfort food.

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  10. I really like this tofu and had no idea that was what it was called and why! My mum makes a similar dish but I think the addition of enoki is really nice to add texture :D

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    1. We buy a pack of this tofu every week cos my mum loves it, and this recipe just came into my head when I saw enoki mushrooms in the fridge. :)

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  11. Yen, malaysia's tofu pok comes in one whole piece like this? This is the 1st time I saw them in this shape as we can only can the cut ones here. This is a very healthy & yummy dish! Looks like you & your family also likes to eat mushroom very much!

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    1. Yeah, but each piece is about the size of my thumb only. We love all types of mushrooms :)

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  12. drench them in curry mee soup also ok!

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  13. Stumbled upon this when I was searching for a tofu recipe :) May I know what kind of mushroom sauce you're using? Is it like those sold in bottles?

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    1. Hi there. Yes, the one I bought is in a bottle (similar size to oyster sauce) and sold in the same section as oyster sauce in the supermarket. The brand I am using is "Lee Shun Hing" and it is called mushroom oyster flavoured sauce (vegetarian).

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    2. Thanks a lot for the info. Can't wait to try out this recipe soon! My family lovesss mushroom :)

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  14. Yen , I think I've seen this kind of skinny tofu pok around here . Me , I love the cube tofu pok :D I always blanch tofu pok before adding it to the rest of the ingredients .

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  15. Hi there,

    What is ginger wine and what is it used for? Is there any difference if I use ginger slices and shao xing wine?

    Thanks
    Khim

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    1. Hi Khim, if you do not have ginger wine, you can substitute with Shaoxing wine.

      Ginger wine is used to flavour the sauce.

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  16. This was amazingly delicious and easy to make! I went crazy looking for ginger wine, but next time will sub Shao Xing, which I have on had and is easier to find. Thank you so much for this recipe! I plan to make it again soon!

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