Simple Braised Tofu with Minced Meat and what better way to serve it with plain rice congee during this hazy conditions than eating out

First of all, my sincere apologies for MIA for quite a while.  Well, finally I am able to squeeze some time for my readers and followers who have been actively visiting my cyber home even though there isn't any new updates from me.  Of course from the live traffic feed I am able to see new and existing viewers still keep coming in.  I am touched!!!!  My sincere gratitude for all your generous support.

Well, with the current hazy conditions which hit Singapore and Malaysia, most of us have not been feeling well and even our appetite are affected too.  In fact most of the time, I have been cooking savory or plain rice congee for lunch or dinner for my family.  In case you are interested, you may click at this link for more congee recipes rice congee/porridge.

As I was scratching my head what to cook the other day, I realised that I had a medium sized of pork belly in my freezer and 5 pieces of hard tofu.  Aha... why not cook a simple dish to go with plain rice congee?  So, here's this simple yet appetizing recipe.

Ingredients :
- 1 strip of pork belly (blanched and cut into small pieces or minced)
- 5 pcs hard tofu (cut into eight, slightly fried until golden brown)
- 1/2 tbsp fermented soy bean paste/tau cheong
- 1 bulb of garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 Bombay onion (finely chopped)
- water (enough for braising)

Seasonings : (to taste)
- a dash of salt
- a dash of pepper
- a dash of mixed spice
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 3 tbsp caramel sauce (reduce the amount if you don't like your dish to be in dark colour)
- 1 tsp sugar

Method :
1) Heat some oil in a wok and pan fry the tofu until slightly brown.

2) Set the tofu aside.

3) With the remaining oil, add pork belly and stir fry for a while.

4) Then add garlic, onion, and fermented soy bean paste and continue stir fry until aromatic.

5) Add in fried tofu and seasoning. Stir and mix well.

6) Finally add enough water and cover.

7) Let it boil over high heat for about 5 minutes. Then, lower the heat and let it simmer until the gravy is thickened.

8) It takes about 30 to 45 minutes depending on the fire and pot/wok used. Add water if you want more gravy.

9) Dish up and serve with plain porridge or steamed rice.

Another similar dish you might be interested.

Have a great weekend ahead and cheers!

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Simple Stir Fried Chinese Leeks with Tau Kua (semi-soft tofu)

My family members love Chinese Leeks.  We love it especially if stir fried it with roast pork belly.  I am sure most Malaysian Chinese  know how sinfully delectable this dish is if served with soy sauce and bird's eye chili!  It's very addictive too. Sometimes hubby and I enjoy having it just with cold beers; without rice. Whereas my children would have extra rice if Chinese Leeks is served!

Stir Fried Chinese Leeks with Roast Pork and Hard Tofu

For a change, you can also mix and match Chinese Leeks with whatever dishes you have in mind.  

Chinese Leeks with Swiss Mushrooms

Fried Rice with Chinese Leeks and Apple Cubes

Simple Stir Fried Chinese Leeks with Tau Kua

Ingredients :

- 5 pcs semi-soft tofu (cubed and deep or pan fried)

- 4 Chinese Leeks (washed and cut)

- 1 pair Chinese Sausage (washed and sliced)

- 1 carrot (julienne)

- 1 thumb sized ginger (crushed)

Seasonings : (to taste)

- salt

- soy sauce

- Chinese cooking wine (Hua Tiao Jiu)

Method :

1)  Heat oil in a wok enough to deep fry or pan fry tofu.  (I prefer to pan fry).

2)  Pan fry tofu until both sides are golden brown.  Dish out and set aside.

3)  Leave about a tablespoon of oil in the wok.  Saute ginger until aromatic.

4)  Add Chinese Leeks, Chinese sausages and carrot.  Keep stir frying until all the ingredients are half done.

5)  Add salt and soy sauce to taste.  Keep stirring and if too dry, add some water.

6)  Transfer the fried tofu back to the wok. Stir and mix well.  

7)  Drizzle some Chinese cooking wine and give it a quick stir.

8)  Dish up and serve with steamed rice or plain rice porridge.

Such a palatable and aromatic dish!

Have a wonderful weekend ahead and cheers :)

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Braised Soft Tofu (Bean curd) with Thai Basil (Meatless Recipe)

Tofu (Japanese: 豆腐 or とうふ; Chinese: 豆腐), also called bean curd, is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is a component in many East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu that has been processed in some way. Tofu has a subtle flavor and can be used in savory and sweet dishes. It is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish.  Please click  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu for more info on tofu.

 My family likes to eat tofu and I used to cook it regularly.  As for this braised tofu, the recipe just created out of what I can find in my fridge! You can add any ingredients that you like and it's still yummy.

Ingredients :

- 4 blocks of soft tofu (cut)

- 2 tomatoes (cut into wedges)

- a handful of shredded preserved mustard head/Spicy Szechuan Mustard (soaked)

- a handful of fresh Thai Basil

- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)

- oil

- water (add more water if you want extra sauce)

Seasonings : (to taste)

- 1 tbsp miso

- salt
- a dash of sugar

Method :

1)  Heat oil in a pan and lightly pan fry tofu.  

2)  Add garlic, tomatoes and shredded preserved mustard head.

3)  Lightly stir and mix well.  Then, add miso.

4)  Add water and braise over medium high heat.

5)  When it is almost done, add salt to taste, sugar and fresh Thai basil.

6)  Stir and mix well.

7)  Serve with steamed rice.

This dish is suitable for vegetarians and you can just omit the garlic for religious purposes

Or if you are just going for a meatless meal, this is just a perfect dish

Hope you like this simple yet healthy tofu dish

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake at this post.

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Stewed Pork Belly with Fried Tofu

Whenever my late dad wanted to have plain porridge, he would ask mum to cook pork belly with tofu and with added dark caramel sauce.  Besides him, practically we have grown up eating this dish since my grandparents' era!  I still remember back in my kampung/hometown in Ayer Tawar, our neighbours used to cook this dish and most of them would have it with porridge too.  Are you curious how we eat it with porridge?  I do not know about the others, but back in my kampung, my family and neighbours would mix the thick gravy tofu into their piping hot porridge.  Then, we would use a spoon or chopsticks to break/cut the tofu into small pieces, mix it with porridge, then, 1 spoon of porridge into the mouth, slurrpppp.... followed by a piece of the pork belly... close your eyes, ehmmmm..... so yummy.  Back then, in the 1970s, this is considered quite a luxurious meal for kampung folks in Ayer Tawar where majority of them were rubber tappers.  However, nowadays it's just a common dish and everyone knows how to cook it.  In fact my children like too.

This time I didn't eat it with porridge but with steamed rice.  Then, I noticed that my children mixed the pieces of tofu and gravy into their rice.  It's indeed very delish.....

Ingredients :

- 1 strip of pork belly (blanched and cut)

- 5 pcs hard tofu (cut into four, slightly fried until golden brown)

- 1/2 tbsp fermented soy bean paste/tau cheong (for frying)

- 1 1/2 tbsp fermented soy bean paste/tau cheong (to taste)

- 1 bulb of garlic (finely chopped)

- 1 star anise

- 1 cinnamon stick

- water (enough for stewing)

Seasonings : (to taste)

- a dash of salt

- 2 tbsp light soy sauce

- 3 tbsp caramel sauce (reduce the amount if you don't like your dish to be in dark colour)

- 1 tsp sugar

Method :

1)  Heat some oil in a wok and pan fry the tofu until slightly brown. (You can deep fry until golden brown if you like but I prefer it to be pan fried).

2)  Push the tofu to the side of the wok.  Saute garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick and 1/2 tbsp of fermented soy bean paste until aromatic.

 3)  Add pork belly and tofu. Stir fry for a while and mix well.

4)  Add water, the remaining fermented bean paste and caramel sauce. Mix well. Cover and let it boil over high heat for about 5 minutes. Then, lower the heat and let it simmer until the gravy is thickened and/or the meat is cooked and tender. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes depending on the fire and pot/wok used. Add water if you want more gravy.

5)  Lastly, add in the remaining seasonings and bring it to a boil again for 1 or 2 minutes.  

6)  Dish up and serve with plain porridge or steamed rice.

The tofu is very flavourful as it's being stewed together with the meat.

No doubt this is a very simple and common dish, my family members have fond memory of this dish as it reminds us of our beloved dad ~

I am submitting this post to Malaysian Food Fest Perak month hosted by WendyinKK of Table for Two….or more

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