To sum up in one sentence, it is deep-fried firm tofu tossed in what is basically a sweet and sour sauce but without the sourness, with some chili peppers thrown in. It’s simple and really delicious.
Here’s a little tip with firm tofu that can cut cooking time by more than 50%. The problem with tofu is that it doesn’t really last long even in the fridge. You can remedy that by pre-frying and freezing the tofu. If you cook a lot of tofu dishes at home, fry the tofu in bulk. Cut three or four tofu cakes into desired pieces, deep fry in vegetable oil, drain on paper towels, cool then store in freezer containers. Divide the fried tofu so that the content of each container is good for one complete dish. When you’re ready to cook them, take out a container and thaw the tofu completely before tossing into the hot sauce. Allow to simmer in the sauce until heated through.
Now, the recipe…
Ingredients :
1 cake of firm tofu, cut into bite-size pieces
about 3 cups of vegetable cooking oil
half a head of garlic
a small piece of ginger, about an inch cube
2 shallots
1 small carrot
2 finger chilies (siling haba)
1 small red bell pepper
1 tbsp. of tomato paste
1 c. of broth (mussel broth is especially good for this dish)
1 tsp. of tapioca or corn starch
salt
sugar
about half a teaspoonful of sesame seed oil
Cooking procedure :
Heat the cooking oil until smoking then deep fry the tofu in batches until golden. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Peel and finely mince the garlic.
Peel and finely grate the ginger.
Peel and finely slice the shallots.
Slit the finger chilies vertically, scrape off the seeds then roughly chop. Do the same with the bell pepper.
Peel and roughly chop the carrot.
Add the tomato paste to the broth and stir well. Season with salt and sugar. How sweet you want the sauce is up to you. I like it really sweet so I use about 1-1/2 tablespoonfuls of sugar. You can use more, or you can use less. Add the starch and stir until completely dissolved.
Pour off the vegetable oil until only about 2 tablespoonfuls remain. Reheat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring for about 15 seconds. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for about 45 seconds. Pour in the broth-starch solution. Cook, stirring, until clear and thick. Add the cooked tofu to the sauce and simmer until heated through. Turn off the heat and drizzle the sesame seed oil all over the dish. Stir a few times then transfer to a serving platter.
Serve at once. This dish is good with rice or as an appetizer.
Tofu dish is simply nutritious and good for vegetarian too. I would certainly try to make this for my family.
Mmmm, that looks great! We’ll have to try it this weekend. My husband likes tofu because he says it tastes like pork, hehe. I like it because it’s NOT pork, it’s cheap, and no fat! I hate having to trim off those chunks of fat XP
are finger chilies the ones they give you when you buy veggies for sinigang? i’m not familiar with the term siling haba, sorry, since i use small red chilies for sinigang…i grew up with it because we used to have sili plants in our garden.
hi sassy! my family & i love tofu. anong tagalog term ng shallots? can i use olive oil instead of sesame seed oil?
thanks!
We love tofu too, Suanne. Only my younger daughter isn’t so hot about it. LOL
Chevee, yah, usually called siling haba. Click the link for a visual illustration.
Pao, shallots = sibuyas tagalog. They’re small… little larger than kalamansi.
ay, oo nga, hehe sorry, my bad! ^^;;
can toasted sesame seeds also be sprinkled on top? if we don’t have sesame seed oil, is there any other oil that can be substituted, or is it essential for the taste of the dish?
aaahhh, kakagutom.
PS: I’ve been trying to access your sassy site but i kepe getting WP error. Hope everything is ok with it.
chevee, re: “toasted sesame seeds”
YES!!!
dexie, it’s been down for 12 hours already. and the photo blog too. friggin dreamhost isn’t responding.
hi. any tips on where to find smooth (and clean) tofu?
lemon, i buy mine from the supermarket these days. sealed with an expiry date.
hi! i got this link from sis Pao. My hubby likes tofu, i’ll try to do this tonight…thanks!
you’re welcome, idealpinkrose. hope you both enjoy the dish.
hi, connie,
thank God for your recipes! I have been using them for my home cooking and they have helped me a lot.
kudos to you!
anyway, can i substitute the broth with just plain water?
thanks
yes, you can, brandy.
tofu can be bought from your local magtataho. just request in advance. i recommend them as they really are fresh, and tastes like taho but firm. they usually charge from 80 to 100 for a kilo. really freshly made and you would not buy from any other, once you’ve tasted them…. however, they rarely accomodate requests…….
Favorite ko din ang tofu,kaya lang ang alam ko lang luto sa tofu is tokwa’t baboy.Gusto ko nga i try lutuin ung tofu with arparagus na siniserve sa max’s masarap din un eh,kaya lang di ko alam ang engridients,nakalimutan ko na ang lasa medyo matagal ko na din kasing natikman eh,kaya di ko na makuha ang mga engridients nya. hehehe!