Cook’s notes

We had it as a side dish but it can be a main course for vegetarians. If you want to go a step farther, yes, you can make it vegan by substituting mushroom oyster sauce.

But before we talk about the sauce, a few notes on the two main ingredients: tofu and shiitake. You’ll need firm tofu for this dish. The shiitake may be fresh or dried and rehydrated. For more about tofu and rehydrating mushrooms, see the two linked posts below.

But why is firm tofu the ideal choice for this dish? Because it has to be cut into cubes and fried until golden and crisp. While it is possible to do the same with soft tofu (see the agedashi recipe), frying soft tofu can be tricky. It’s really up to you, of course, but I really recommend firm tofu for this dish.

Why fry the tofu? Can’t it be braised if unfried? Yes, tofu can be braised without having been fried. But unfried tofu can break easily when tossed and stirred in the pan. Meanwhile, it’ll take a lot of punishment for fried tofu to break and fall apart when mixed with other ingredients. Plus, the crust that forms on the surface during frying gives tofu better texture.

The sauce that the tofu and shiitake are braised in does not require prior cooking. In a bowl, just stir together ginger sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce and sesame seed oil until fully blended.

Tofu and shiitake in soy ginger sauce

Prep: 10

Cook: 10

Total: 20

Servings: 4 people

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Label: Meatless

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Ingredients

1 block firm tofu about 300 grams / 10.5 oz
cooking oil
2 shallots peeled and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
1 small carrot peeled and julienned
6 to 8 shiitake (rehydrated if using dried) thickly sliced
2 to 3 pinches salt
2 pinches black pepper

Soy ginger sauce

1 tablespoon ginger sauce (available in Asian groceries)
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha
½ teaspoon sesame seed oil

Instructions

Drain the tofu and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Cover with more paper towels and place a plate on top to press out excess water. Leave for ten minutes.
Cut the tofu into one-inch cubes.
In a wok or frying pan, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of two inches.
Fry the tofu until golden and crisp.
Scoop out the tofu and spread on a rack.
Heat two tablespoons of cooking oil in a frying pan.
Saute the shallots, garlic, carrot and shiitake with salt and pepper for a minute or so.
Toss in the fried tofu and pour in the sauce.
Stir, set the heat to low, cover the pan and braise for five minutes.
Optionally, top with sliced scallions before serving.