Dried Orchid Tofu

Dried Orchid Tofu

　　Method:

1. Main ingredients needed: white dried tofu, scallions, ginger, star anise;

2. Cut each piece of tofu into 4 strips, take one strip and sandwich it between two bamboo skewers. Make diagonal 45-degree cuts without cutting all the way through. After cutting, flip the strip upside down and make another set of diagonal 45-degree cuts;

3. This is what it looks like after cutting;

4. Heat oil in a pan and slowly deep-fry the cut tofu over medium heat;

5. When the tofu turns yellow and the outer layer becomes crispy and hard, remove it from the oil;

6. Pour out excess oil, return the tofu to the pan, add scallions, ginger, and star anise, pour in hot water to cover the tofu, add light soy sauce, rock sugar, vinegar, and a small amount of Maggi seasoning, then simmer over high heat;

7. Cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened.

For a more refined version, you should use chopsticks to pry open both ends of the tofu while frying to create a beautiful floral pattern. Unfortunately, there were no wooden or bamboo chopsticks at home, so this step was skipped. Such a pity—having mastered the pleated knife technique, I wasn’t able to show it off this time.