China · Home-style
Cold-Dressed Tofu
Silky tofu cubes briefly boiled, then dressed with garlic, scallion and soy. Light, cool and quick enough for a first-time cook.
Blanching tofu is not about cooking it so much as washing away the raw bean smell and firming the crumb slightly. The dressing does the rest, and the dish sits at the cooler end of the table after a heavy meal. It is one of the first cold dishes people learn, because almost nothing can go wrong.
Ingredients
- tofu1 pieces
- spring onion10 g
- garlic3 pieces
- light soy sauce15 ml
- sesame oil5 ml
- vinegar5 ml
- sugar2 g
- chili oil5 ml
Directions
- 1
Cut the tofu into small cubes of about 2 cm and set aside.
- 2
Add 500 ml drinking water to a pot and bring to the boil over high heat.
- 3
Add the tofu cubes and boil for 1 to 2 minutes to remove the raw bean smell and firm up the texture.
- 4
Lift out the boiled tofu, drain well and place in a bowl.
- 5
Wash the spring onion and chop it finely.
- 6
Peel the garlic and mince it finely.
- 7
In a clean small bowl, combine 15 ml light soy sauce, 5 ml sesame oil, 5 ml vinegar (optional) and 2 g sugar (optional).
- 8
Add the minced garlic.
- 9
Stir well so the sugar dissolves completely and the dressing comes together.
- 10
Pour the dressing evenly over the tofu cubes.
- 11
Scatter over the chopped spring onion.
- 12
Drizzle with 5 ml chili oil if you like.
- 13
Toss gently with chopsticks or a spoon and serve.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.