Tofu and eggplants with salted yellow beans

When we were at The Oarhouse last month, we were told that the owner also owned the old Wok Inn Chinese restaurant. It has a different name now but it still serves good old stir fried Chinese dishes. To our surprise, we found out that that we could order anything from the other restaurant’s menu and have it served right on our table at The Oarhouse. Recommended was the tokwa (tofu) with salted beans. We decided to try it. About a dozen bite sized fried tofu was served with a salty sauce and topped with snipped wansuy (cilantro leaves). Now, while I’m familiar with tausi (salted black beans), I wasn’t too familiar with salted yellow beans. A few questions were exchanged and I was told that I could buy them in cans just like tausi. The last time were were in the supermarket, I searched for a can of salted yellow beans, found it and, two days later, cooked tokwa and eggplant stir fry inspired, of course, by the tofu dish we sampled at The Oarhouse.

Ingredients :

1 big cake of firm tokwa (or 4 small ones)
2-3 eggplants
1 tbsp. of finely minced garlic
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 heaping tbsp. of salted yellow beans, strained
1 tsp. of tapioca or corn starch
1-1/4 c. of meat or chicken broth
4 tbsps. of light soy sauce
1/2 c. of cooking oil
salt
pepper
sugar
a few drops of sesame seed oil
chopped or snipped wansuy (cilantro) for garnish

Cooking procedure :

Soak the tokwa in water for an hour then change the water and soak for another hour to remove any plastery taste and aroma. Drain well and cut into bite sized pieces.

Trim the ends of the eggpplants and dice, roughly the same size as the tokwa. Soak in water to prevent discoloration.

Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan. Lightly fry the tokwa cubes, turning for even browning. Drain on paper towels.

In the remaining cooking oil, fry the diced eggplants for a few minutes, tossing often. Add the minced garlic, sliced shallots and salted yellow beans. Cook, tossing, for about a minute. Pour in half a cup of broth. Season with soy sauce, a little salt, pepper and sugar. Adjust the amounts to suit your taste. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about five minutes or until the eggplants are almost done. Add the fried tokwa to the wok or pan. Stir a few times. Dissolve the starch in the remaining broth and pour over the eggplants and tokwa. Cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds or until the sauce thickens and clears. Turn off the heat and drizzle some sesame seed oil over the cooked dish. Toss a few times. Transfer to a serving platter or bowl and garnish with chopped or snipped cilantro.

Serve at once.