Hot-plate Tofu
- Serves 3-4
The iconic sizzling hot-plate tofu is a dish found in every single Chinese restaurant in Singapore and Malaysia. With its bed of fried eggs, golden fried tofu, and a luscious sauce made of minced meat and umami-rich Shitake, it’s a recipe packed with so much flavor it doesn’t need any accompaniments. This is one dish we always order when we go out for Chinese, however it is rather hard to find its vegetarian version. I have stated two options for the recipe below - pork and vegan plant-based mince. In my video above, I have used plant-based mince, which works so beautifully you won’t be able to tell the difference.
I have added mushroom water in the sauce for extra umami. In fact, it’s something I save for my vegetable stocks, gravies and sauces too. Shitake mushrooms are packed with umami and to retain their full flavor, I always soak them overnight in room-temperature water. Any left-over soaking water never goes to waste 🙂
This recipe works best with egg tofu rolls which have a beautiful fluffy texture and egginess to them. If you can’t find it easily, simply replace it with either medium-soft Chinese tofu or Tau Kwa. Please note that silken tofu will not work for this recipe because of its very high moisture content.
Finally, this recipe is served in a hot plate as the name suggests. Haven’t got one? No problem! Simply use your regular cast-iron pan like I did, as it retains heat even better than a hot plate. Happy cooking!
Ingredients
6 dried Shiitake mushrooms, soaked
coconut oil or olive oil,
300g Egg Tofu or Chinese Tofu or Tau Kwa (I have used Tau Kwa in my video)
2 spring onion stalks, bulbs and greens chopped separately
1 teaspoon minced garlic
200g plant-based mince (or minced pork if you prefer)
1-2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Doubanjiang (hot broad bean paste)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 cup leftover mushroom water
1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
2 tablespoons water
2 eggs, beaten
Recipes
1. Rinse and soak dried Shitake mushrooms in room temperature water for at least 3-4 hours or preferably overnight. Once soft, squeeze excess water out, cut and discard fibrous stems, and thinly slice mushroom heads - set aside. Also, set aside 1/2 cup mushroom soaking water.
2. In a wok or non-stick frying-pan, heat a few tablespoons of oil, enough to cover the base of the pan.
3. Slice tofu into 3/4 cm thick pieces. Place in hot oil and fry on medium-high flame for 1-2 minutes on each side, until crispy golden all over. Drain and set aside. Discard cooking oil if it has changed color, otherwise leave one tablespoon oil in the pan and discard the rest.
4. To make sauce, heat a tablespoon oil in the same pan. Add spring onion bulbs and garlic - sauté until fragrant.
5. Add mushrooms - stir well.
6. Add plant based mince (or pork if you prefer) and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes mincing as you go to avoid lumps. Cook mince until no longer pink.
7. Add sugar, dark soy sauce, doubanjiang, light soya sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and 1/2 cup mushroom water. Stir well and bring to the boil. (If using plant-based mince, taste the dish before adding light soy sauce as the mince may already contain salt)
8. In the meantime, make a slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon starch with 2 tablespoons water.
9. Add slurry to the sauce, stir well and let it thicken slightly. Take it off the heat.
10. Heat a medium-sized cast-iron pan or hot plate on medium flame. Brush with oil with a paper towel. Once very hot, add in whisked eggs, and turn off the heat. Spread fried tofu evenly all over the eggs. Top with mince mixture.
11. Garnish with spring onion greens, and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Note: If using minced pork in this recipe, marinate pork in 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, a sprinkle of white pepper and 1 teaspoon cornstarch - set aside