China · Chinese

Yipin stuffed tofu

A block of tofu hollowed out, filled with minced duck breast, dried scallop and bamboo shoot, steamed and finished with a light chicken-stock glaze, its surface decorated with a pattern. A signature Kong dish, soft and delicate. The name refers to the rank of the Duke Yansheng, not to vegetarian cooking. Public reference · home adaptation, not a historical original.

75 minutes · 4 servings · advanced

Yipin stuffed tofu

Public reference · Home adaptation Yipin tofu is named for the yipin rank held by the Duke Yansheng, the direct descendant of Confucius, and is one of the most representative Kong dishes. The name borrows a rank — naming dishes yipin expressed the esteem of the table, and says nothing about lightness; the stuffing is decidedly savoury. Traditionally the tofu is white, the surface decorated with cucumber skin, shiitake and bamboo shoot into a crab-and-bamboo pattern, the base edged with mushrooms in cloud scrolls and ringed with pak choi — all in the spirit of Kong cooking’s demand for refined appearance. Kong technique favours braising, stir-frying, simmering, deep-frying and扒, and builds savouriness on its own “three-set” broth; this version uses chicken stock and says so. The original needs purpose-made tofu, several kinds of seafood and a great deal of decoration, none of it practical at home. This version uses firm tofu with easily sourced dried scallop, ham, fresh mushrooms and shiitake, and reduces the decoration to a mushroom and pak-choi border. Weights, steaming time and glaze consistency are editorial for 4 and untested. The stuffing contains meat and seafood, so this is not a vegetarian dish; “yipin” refers to rank, not to plainness. Contains soy (tofu), egg, duck and mollusc (scallop); Shaoxing wine contains wheat and alcohol. The stuffing is meat, so this is not a vegetarian dish. 百度百科：一品豆腐 — The full formula and method: tofu pressed through a sieve with stock, egg white and chicken fat into two sheets, a filling of minced duck breast, dried scallop and bamboo shoot with tomato paste sandwiched between them, crab-and-bamboo decoration on top, mushroom cloud scrolls at the base, pak choi around the edge, and a light chicken glaze poured over. This is the source of the method used here. https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%80%E5%93%81%E8%B1%86%E8%85%90 百度百科：孔府菜 — Kong cuisine is built on Shandong cooking and draws on many traditions; its signature dishes include yipin tofu, described as stuffed and steamed, brought to the boil over high heat and then steamed slowly, and part of the 2011 national intangible-heritage listing. https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AD%94%E5%BA%9C%E8%8F%9C/4591594 AI-generated illustration; not kitchen-tested.

Ingredients

  • firm tofu, about 600 g600 g
  • duck breast, minced60 g
  • dried scallop, soaked and chopped20 g
  • soaked winter bamboo shoot, diced60 g
  • cooked ham, diced30 g
  • shiitake, soaked and diced50 g
  • fresh mushrooms, sliced80 g
  • baby pak choi150 g
  • egg white30 g
  • unsalted chicken stock250 ml
  • chicken fat15 g
  • Shaoxing wine25 ml
  • tomato paste, for seasoning10 g
  • cornstarch6 g
  • fine salt3 g

Directions

  1. 1

    Soak the dried scallop in warm water about 2 hours until soft, then finely chop it with the shiitake, bamboo shoot and ham; pound the duck breast to a paste with the back of a knife.

  2. 2

    Take a block of firm tofu about 13 cm square and 2 cm thick. Hollow out a square cavity to make a box, leaving the base intact, and smooth the inner walls with a spoon.

  3. 3

    Beat the duck paste with egg white, wine, tomato paste and 1 g salt in one direction until springy, then fold in the chopped scallop, shiitake, bamboo shoot and ham.

  4. 4

    Pack the stuffing firmly into the cavity, level the top so it sits slightly proud of the rim, and score the base lightly so it seasons through.

  5. 5

    Line the plate with shiitake slices so the tofu does not stick, set the box on top and arrange blanched baby pak choi around it with the stems pointing outward.

  6. 6

    Put the plate into a steamer over high heat, then turn to medium and steam about 20 minutes until the centre of the filling is cooked through and the tofu is hot throughout.

  7. 7

    In a separate pan bring the chicken stock to a boil with the remaining salt and wine, thicken with a cornstarch slurry to a glaze that coats a spoon, and swirl in the chicken fat.

  8. 8

    Move the tofu and pak choi to a warmed serving dish, pour the glaze evenly over both and serve at once.

Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.