Dongjiang Stuffed Tofu

Dongjiang Stuffed Tofu

　　【Ingredients】

　　 　　325g peeled pork, 750g light second soup, 50g soaked dried shrimp, 500g peanut oil, 10g cuttlefish powder, 15g scallions, 600g tofu, 7.5g monosodium glutamate (MSG), 12.5g salt, 15g dark soy sauce, 0.5g white pepper, 10g wet starch, 20g dry starch, 50g water.

　　 　　【Preparation Method】

　　 1. Cut the tofu into small pieces, each 5cm long, 4cm wide, and 2.5cm high — thirty pieces in total. Finely mince the pork and fish meat separately to the size of soybeans. Dice the dried shrimp into fine particles.

　　 2. Place the minced pork and fish in a bowl, add 10g of salt and 0.5g of MSG, and mix thoroughly until the mixture becomes sticky. Then add the dried shrimp, water, dry starch, 10g of scallions, and 5g of cuttlefish powder. Mix for about 2 minutes to form the filling.

　　 3. Make a small cavity in the center of each tofu block, measuring 2.5cm long, 1.5cm wide, and 1.5cm deep. Stuff each cavity with 20g of the prepared filling. Heat a pan over medium heat, add 25g of oil, and place the stuffed tofu pieces in the pan one by one. Fry while adding oil twice more (about 25g each time) until both sides are golden brown. Remove and place in a clay pot. Add the light second soup, salt, and MSG. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes until cooked through. Add soy sauce to adjust color, thicken with wet starch, drizzle with 25g of oil, and mix well. Sprinkle with chopped scallions, cuttlefish powder, and white pepper before serving.

　　 　　 Notes:

　　 1. Cuttlefish Powder Preparation: Dried cuttlefish is a specialty of Guangdong. Remove the head, skin, and bones from dried cuttlefish, keeping only the clean flesh. Heat a pan over medium heat, add peanut oil, and when the oil is about 50% hot, add the cuttlefish and fry until golden and crispy. Let it cool, then grind into a powder.

　　 2. When stirring the filling, apply even force and stir in one direction.

　　 3. While frying, keep turning the pan to prevent burning at the bottom.

　　 　　 【Features】

　　 This dish is served directly from the cooking pot. It has a rich, soft, and smooth texture with the distinctive umami flavor of cuttlefish, and is a common winter dish in the Dongjiang region.