Black Beans & Tofu

From Gok Cooks Chinese

https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/black-beans-tofu • Posted by Gok Wan

SERVES 4 I love tofu and would stand up in a culinary court and argue its case as one of the most diverse but under-used ingredients. When cooking tofu you need to respect the shyness of its flavour. It never wants to stand out from the crowd but will always surprise you when you least expect it! Black beans are wonderful with tofu as they are strong and salty in taste, adding layers of flavour. Don’t overdo the salt – allow the bitterness of the beans to embrace and uplift the placid nature of the tofu in this dish. P R E P A R AT I O N T I M E 2 0 M I N U T E S C O O K I N G T I M E 1 0 M I N U T E S

You will need

3 tbsp light Soy Sauce 3cm piece of fresh Ginger , peeled and finely diced 4 Spring Onion s, sliced into 2cm rounds 2 tbsp Groundnut Oil 2 tbsp Black Beans , soaked in warm water for 5 minutes 1 fresh red Chillies , finely diced (if you don’t like it hot then remove the seeds from the chilli) 3 cloves of Garlic , peeled and finely sliced 2 tbsp dark Soy Sauce 3 tbsp Shaoxing Rice Wine or dry sherry 400 g Tofu , drained and cut into 2cm cubes 6 dried shiitake Mushroom(s) , soaked in warm water for a minimum of 10 minutes 2 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander

Project Budget

Time

Difficulty

Description

SERVES 4 I love tofu and would stand up in a culinary court and argue its case as one of the most diverse but under-used ingredients. When cooking tofu you need to respect the shyness of its flavour. It never wants to stand out from the crowd but will always surprise you when you least expect it! Black beans are wonderful with tofu as they are strong and salty in taste, adding layers of flavour. Don’t overdo the salt – allow the bitterness of the beans to embrace and uplift the placid nature of the tofu in this dish. P R E P A R AT I O N T I M E 2 0 M I N U T E S C O O K I N G T I M E 1 0 M I N U T E S

GOK COOKS CHINESE by Gok Wan, is out 10th May in Hardback by Penguin/Michael Joseph, £20. The book is the official tie-in to Gok’s TV cookery series on Channel 4 which began on 21st May.

Instructions

1. Drain the shiitake mushrooms through a sieve placed over a clean bowl. Reserve 150ml of the soaking liquor. Chop the mushrooms roughly into small dice.

2. Drain the black beans and put to one side.

3. Heat the oil in a wok over a medium to high heat. Add the garlic, chilli, ginger and spring onions. Stir-fry the vegetables for 2 minutes. Add the drained and chopped mushrooms, and continue to stir-fry for a further 2 minutes before adding the drained black beans, reserved mushroom liquor, Shaoxing rice wine and both soy sauces. Bring the mixture to the boil and simmer for 2–3 minutes.

4. Add the tofu to the mixture and gently incorporate. Cook the tofu through in the sauce for 3–4 minutes until very tender. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander

5. Serve as part of a larger meal or simply with plain rice for a healthy vegetarian option.