Home-Style Tofu (家常豆腐)

Whenever we go on trips, I like to leave the fridge empty of food. Since we are leaving for vacation in two days, I have been busy throwing things together and calling them dinner.

And since I mastered Ma Po Tofu, I have been cooking it all the time and, personally, I need some variety. A couple of weeks ago, I saw tofu on sale at my local Asian market and grabbed a couple, but because I didn't want to cook it the same old way, the tofu had been sitting in the fridge.

So, in the spirit of an empty fridge, I turned to google, hoping to find new ways of preparing tofu.

I came across this Home-Style Tofu recipe from Rasa Malaysia. I had all the ingredients at home. Perfect.

After more digging, I found that there are many ways to make this Home-Style Tofu, with the common thread being the tofu and ground meat. Besides those two key ingredients, the sky is the limit. Some add tomatoes and bell peppers. Some add mushrooms and bok choy. Some spice things up with chili bean paste (although that sounds like Ma Po Tofu to me). It all depends on your own personal preference.

I decided to follow Rasa Malaysia's version, with one slight twist.

It turned out wonderful! Super light and delicious! Hubs commented that you can actually taste the natural flavor of tofu as opposed to just the heavy sauce (found in Ma Po Tofu). Of course, sometimes we all need strong flavors, something not-so-good for you. But once in a while, a lighter dish can be just as, if not even more, pleasing!

I will definitely add this to the dinner rotation.

Home-style Tofu:

- 1 block of fresh or boxed tofu (soft or silken)
- 2 oz. ground pork
- 6 shrimps, peeled and deveined
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 stalk scallions (chopped into small rounds)
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil

Pork Marinade:
- 1 tsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- salt to taste

Brown Sauce:
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp water
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- 2 dashes white pepper powder
- 1 tsp corn starch

1. Cut tofu into medium-size pieces. Mix brown sauce mixture and set aside.
2. Heat up pan and add cooking oil. When the oil is heated, add garlic and stir-fry until light brown. Add in ground pork and shrimps.
3. Stir-fry to break ground pork into smaller lumps. When thoroughly cooked, add tofu (if you use silken tofu, be gentle with the tofu when you stir). Do a quick stir before adding the brown sauce mixture.
4. Gently stir-fry the tofu and bring the sauce to boil. Dish out, add scallions, and serve immediately over white rice.

My other tofu recipes: Ma Po Tofu and Steamed Tofu with Ground Pork