Best Chinese Braised Stew With Black Mushrooms And Fried Tofu Recipes

BUDDHA'S DELIGHT (JAI, CHINESE VEGETARIAN STEW)

Steps:

• Prepare the dried lily flowers, shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms: Place each ingredient in a separate medium-sized bowl and pour boiling water on top to cover by at least 1" (2.5 cm). Press the ingredients down to submerge into the water. Rehydrate for 20 minutes, until they turn soft throughout.
• After the lily flowers turn soft, remove the tough ends if needed (*Footnote 1). If the lily flowers are very long, cut them in half lengthwise. Drain and set aside. Measure out 3/4 cup of the soaking water for later use.
• For the shiitake mushrooms, gently squeeze the water from the mushrooms, then slice into halves. Measure out 1/4 cup of the soaking water and pour into the same bowl with the lily flower rehydrating water.
• For the wood ear, mushrooms, once rehydrated, cut into small bite-sized pieces.
• Place the vermicelli noodles in a medium-sized bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes (or according to the package instructions), until the noodles turn al-dente. Drain and set aside.
• Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, stir to mix well and set aside.
• Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet (at least 13 inches) or a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. When oil turns hot but not smoking hot, add ginger and green onion. Stir a few times until fragrant.
• Add the carrot, lily flowers, and dried shiitake mushrooms. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
• Add bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
• Add fried tofu and pour in the sauce. Add the napa cabbage and bok choy. Cover and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through. Uncover and stir in between, to mix the vegetables with the sauce.
• Add bean thread noodles and let them soak in the liquid. Stir and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir the cornstarch slurry again to dissolve completely and pour into the pan. Stir until the sauce thickens. Transfer everything to a large platter. Serve hot as a main dish.

ULTIMATE BRAISED TOFU

Steps:

• Cut the tofu into 10 pieces, transfer to a plate, and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Carefully tilt the plate and pour off the liquid. This step allows you to remove some of the water content from the very wet silken tofu.
• In a tall pot, heat oil to 375 to 400 degrees F. Make sure that the oil is well below the rim of the pot, so the oil does not overflow. It also minimizes splattering. You can use a candy or oil thermometer to check the temperature.
• Use a metal spatula or slotted spoon to carefully scoop up one piece at a time and lower it quickly into the hot oil. I suggest frying 3 to 4 pieces at a time, keeping the heat at medium high, because the tofu will cool the oil quickly. You need to maintain that high oil temperature to quickly brown the outside and form a light crust.
• Deep fry your silken tofu until light golden brown (about 2 to 3 minutes per batch) and set aside on a dry plate. Oil temperature control is key, as you want to maintain the temperature between 375 and 400 degrees F.
• In a bowl, combine the stock, oyster sauce, soy sauces, sesame oil, sugar, and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
• Heat your wok over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the frying oil around the perimeter of the wok so it is lightly coated. Add the smashed ginger to the wok and stir it in the oil for about 15 seconds. Stir in the minced garlic, the white portion of the scallions, the mushrooms, carrots, and bamboo shoots, and turn the heat up to high. Stir-fry for 30 seconds and add the Shaoxing wine and the snap peas.
• Continue to stir-fry for another 30 seconds, and add the sauce mixture. Bring the mixture up to a boil. Once boiling, add the cornstarch and water mixture and stir for 15 seconds until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the fried silken tofu and the rest of the scallions.
• Carefully fold the mixture together until the tofu is well-coated. Use extra care, because the fried silken tofu is still very delicate! Let your braised tofu cook for another 15 to 20 seconds and add a little more cornstarch and water if you want a thicker sauce.

CHINESE BRAISED STEW WITH BLACK MUSHROOMS AND FRIED TOFU

Steps:

• Heat wok add coat with oil. Heat until it smokes add 1 lbs beef and brown over high heat to a deep brown in color and place into a stock pot. Repeat this until all 4 pounds is gone. Add water into the wok and heat over heat for 5 minutes and pour into the stockpot. Add in ginger, brown bean, curd cakes, star anise, onion powder, salt and pour in the wine and soy sauce. Cover with water above the meat mixture and bring to a boil and after 5 minutes go by reduce the heat to a medium low and simmer for 3 hours and add mushrooms and simmer until the meat is tender. Add in the fried tofu cube and return the mixture to a rolling boil and reduce the heat back to a simmer for 15 minutes.

CHINESE-STYLE BRAISED BEEF ONE-POT

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large, shallow casserole. Fry the garlic, ginger, onions and chilli for 3 mins until soft and fragrant. Tip onto a plate. Toss the beef in the flour, add 1 tbsp more oil to the pan, then brown the meat in batches, adding the final tbsp oil if you need to. It should take about 5 mins to brown each batch properly.
• Add the five-spice and star anise (if using) to the pan, tip in the gingery mix, then fry for 1 min until the spices are fragrant. Add the sugar, then the beef and stir until combined. Keep the heat high, then splash in the wine or sherry, scraping up any meaty bits. Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.
• Pour in the soy and stock (it won't cover the meat completely), bring to a simmer, then tightly cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 1½-2 hrs, stirring the meat halfway through. The meat should be very soft, and any sinewy bits should have melted away. Season with more soy. This can now be chilled and frozen for up to 1 month.
• Nestle the cooked bok choi into the pan, then bring to the table with the basmati rice straight away and tuck in.

DEEP FRIED TOFU

Steps:

• In a bowl mix salt, 5 spice powder, sugar, pepper and garlic.
• Add tofu 1 at a time and turn over to coat evenly.
• Let stand 1 hour.
• In a wok, heat oil until smoking.
• Add tofu and deep fry for 5 minutes until puffy and golden.
• Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with green onions.