Steamed Stuffed Tofu (蒸釀豆腐)

Start by preparing the filling, which will be a fish and shrimp paste. If you wish, you can opt for only fish, only shrimp, or any combination of proteins, like ground pork or beef. While you can sometimes buy this at a Chinese seafood counter, it's good to know how to make it from scratch!

Start by cleaning and peeling the shrimp (10 oz). To peel the shell off, twist and wiggle the tail off. Then, hook a finger under the remaining shell and pull it straight off. If the shrimp is not de-veined already, slide a toothpick or tip of a knife under the dark vein and pull it out.

Give the shrimp a quick wash with clean water to rinse off any debris and shell bits. Squeeze all the water out, and then set it aside.

Prepare the fish fillet (10 oz) by patting it dry with a paper towel. Then, lay it down on your chopping board and cut it into thin slices. Once the fish is all chopped into thin slices, you're going to start smashing it. It's best to use the broadest knife you have for this, the closest thing you have to a cleaver.

Grip your cleaver high on the handle, extend your index finger out to push down on the blade, and turn the cleaver horizontally. Carefully smash the fish slices down into the cutting board. You won't need a lot of sudden, dramatic force, as the fish is delicate and will succumb easily to smashing.

The smashed fish slices should begin to form a paste, and as you go through the fish, gather it back up into new piles to smash again. It should get stickier and more paste-like with the second pass.

Then, return to a normal knife-holding position and give the fish paste a thorough chop. This will severe any remaining long strands of connective tissue and ensure that the fish paste is nice and soft.

Next, start making the shrimp paste. There's no need to slice it first, so proceed directly to smashing. After smashing the shrimp, then chop it thoroughly. Gather the forming shrimp paste together and smash it further to get the paste even finer and stickier.

Next, mix the fish and shrimp pastes together. Fold them together, then give this mixed paste another thorough smashing.

Now that we have the shrimp and fish paste, we can finally marinate it. Add salt (1 tsp), sugar (1 tsp), white pepper (0.50 tsp), cornstarch (2 tbsp), and water (2 tbsp) to a bowl. Mix it up and pour it over the shrimp and fish paste.

Mix it very, very thoroughly until the paste has absorbed the marinade and become a sticky paste. The more you mix it, the bouncier and chewier your paste will be when you cook it!

Put the shrimp and fish paste into the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the tofu in the next step.

Remove the tofu (1 package) from its packaging and pour out the water.

When we cut the tofu, we’ll want to end up with short squares that the filling can perch safely on top of. Keep that final shape in mind as you make these cuts. When you lay the tofu block down on the cutting board, all of the cuts will start from the top and cut down.

Cut the tofu in half down the middle. Then, make four cuts perpendicular to that cut, resulting in ten squares of tofu. Lay the tofu squares down on the dish that you’ll be steaming in.

When choosing your steaming dish, make sure that it's heat-resistant. Ceramic, glass, and stainless steel are all fantastic choices. Avoid plastic to be safe, and certainly don't steam disposable dinnerware like paper or Styrofoam!

Use a paper towel to pat them dry. Sprinkle a bit of salt over them to season (not too much, as salt tends to draw water out of ingredients, which will create bigger puddles of liquid on your plate). Sprinkle some cornstarch over each piece of tofu as well, to help the filling adhere better.

While you have the cutting board out, chop the green onions (2 stalk). They'll go on last for a final garnish.

Take your filling out of the fridge. Gently scoop about 1 tbsp of filling onto each tofu square. You can press down gently to shape the filling and encourage it to stick.

Coat the tops of each stuffed tofu with a little bit of oil (1 tsp) for extra shine and silkiness. You can either drizzle the oil or if you have a brush, you can also try brushing the oil on.

(Now’s a good time to start getting some water boiling so it’ll be ready for steaming later!)

If you have a dedicated steamer, that’s perfect for this step. We usually set up our wok with a steamer rack. To do that, set the steamer rack in the wok and add water. To save time, use already hot or boiling water.

Set the heat to high and cover the wok with a lid to help the water heat up quickly. Once the water is boiling, uncover the wok and set the dish with the stuffed tofu onto the steamer rack.

Cover with the lid and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the filling is firm. Another indicator that the filling is cooked through is to check for the shrimp’s cooked, orange color.

Take the stuffed tofu out and garnish with chopped green onion.

Pour the steaming water out, or use a new, clean wok. Set the heat to high and pour the sauce in. Add a dash of oil and stir the sauce as it cooks. Turn the heat down to medium as it begins to boil.

Here, you can adjust the viscosity of the sauce. If it’s too thick, add more water, a tbsp at a time. If it’s too thin, mix up some more cornstarch and cool water to make a thickening slurry, and add that as you stir.

When the texture of the sauce is to your liking, add a bit more oil for a glossy finish. You can either pour the sauce into a bowl, or pour it directly over the stuffed tofu. Enjoy!