Sweet and sour tofu
RECIPE FOR SWEET AND SOUR TOFU1 piece pressed tofu (tau gua 豆干) – about 200g (refer to note 1)
50g minced meat (refer to note 2)
30g red onion (diced)
2 tbsp sweet corns (fresh or canned) (refer to note 3)4 tbsp tomato sauce/ ketchup
1 tsp plum sauce
1 tsp sugar
50ml water
Pinch of salt (optional) (refer to note 4)
- Marinate minced meat with light soy sauce and cornflour (about ½ tsp for each) for at least half an hour.
- Rinse, pat dry and slice pressed tofu at ½ inch thickness. Spread them on kitchen towel to absorb the moisture. After 1 minute, turn them over and leave it for another 1 minute. Then cut them into a rectangular shape (1½ inch x ½ inch). (refer to note 5).
- Heat up cooking pan with oil. Pan-fry the sliced pressed tofu. Flip once or twice until all the sides turn golden brown. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking pan with oil again. Sauté chopped onion until fragrant and lightly soften. Add in minced meat. Spread it out evenly. Do not stir fry immediately. Let it cook for a few seconds until it is slightly caramelized. Flip it over and let it continue to cook for a while. This will increase the aroma of the minced meat. Reduce the heat to low and start breaking up the meat.
- Stir in seasonings and pressed tofu. Mix well. Cover with a lid and simmer for a while so that the pressed tofu can absorb the sauce.
- Remove the lid, add in sweet corns. Stir and combine well. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened. Dish up and serve.
- Pressed tofu – This is rather an extra firm variety of tofu with a large amount of liquids being pressed out of it. It is sold in cakes and vacuum packed which are about 1/2 inch thick. Excellent for dicing and slicing to add to salads or as a garnish to dishes. (Source: Wikipedia and Inmamakitchen)
- You can substitute minced meat with minced chicken.
- For fresh corn-on-the-cob, steam or blanch the cob over boiling water until cooked. Then drain, leave to cool and cut out the corns. Alternatively, you can cut out the corns from the cob first and cook then.
- It depends on the type of tomato sauce/ ketchup you use.
- You can either dice or slice the pressed tofu. But for pan-frying, the bigger the size, the easier the job.
54 Comments
Leave a comment to noobcook
the tofu looks good! i love it!
j3ss kitch3n: Thanks! 😉
Mmmm…one I would love with rice. Love that cute little flower on top that you made with sweet corn 😀
MaryMoh: Thanks for your sweet comment! 😉
Lovely and healthy dish. I must eat extra rice with this delicious tofu. Making me hungry now…
Anncoo: Thanks!! 😉
Mmmm ironically with me being mostly vegetarian but my bf hating beans, tofu is one of the few proteins we both like. This looks fantastic!
Xiaolu: Thanks!! At least both of you can enjoy some protein-rich food together. 😉
I adore tofu too! Your tofu creation looks simply delicious and fabulous!
Jen (TOH) : Thanks!!
Another great way to enjoy hard beancurd.
Little Inbox: Thanks!! Yes, you’re right! 😉
Yummy! This look a lot like what I cooked yesterday except mine is spicy and not sweet and sour.
Ching (LCOM): I like spicy version too but my son is not ready yet. 🙁
This dish must be so tasty! I love it. I enjoy millet too!
Tigerfish: Thanks!! Yes, millet is a great grain. 😉
I absolutely ADORE tofu and am always trying to find new ways to prepare it! This one sounds seriously delicious to me! Love the sound of that sweet and sour sauce.
Joanne: Thanks!! Hope you can give it a try!! 😉
I just stir-fried tau gua with minced meat for dinner yesterday! Yours sound so much better! Love the corn flower =) so cute
Pigpigscorner: What a co-incidence! Thanks!!
It’s a lovely dish. I always keep a packet of tofu in my fridge, versatile for stir-frying and making soups.
Christine: Thanks!! Yeah, it is really versatile. 😉
I could have finished the whole bowl! Looks so good!
Angie: Thanks!!
They are known as the “Cheese of Asia” – Hmmmm….I did not know that! I don’t have kids but I can tell you – I would love this dish myself.
The Sudden Cook: I’m also new to this name. Hehehe! Glad you like it. 😉
this dish looks great, tofu dish is always my favourite.
Jess: Thanks!! 😉
Looks really healthy and lovely! I really like how you arrange the sweet corn 🙂
Lee Mei (MCH): Thanks!! 🙂
sweet and sour always work for me. This goes so well with rice 🙂
Noobcook: Yes, it is a very appetizing sauce. 😉
This tofu sounds healthy & delish, love the plum sauce in this recipe.
Marla: Yes, the plum sauce is the key ingredient to this recipe. 😉
Looks delicious LK! I’ve never cooked with plum sauce.. think I should go out and buy some…
Clare: Thanks! It’s not to late to get one now. The sweet and sour sauce is very tasty with plum sauce. 😉
I’m a fan of tofu and its versatility. The sweet and sour sauce with it sounds great. Looks like a fantastic meal!
Lisa: Thanks!! 😉
A great dish good for any age. I adore your adding of plum sauce : ).
TasteHongKong: Thanks!! 😉
what a great dish, my kiddos would devour this, they love plum sauce!!
sweetlife
Sweetlife: Thanks!! Hope your kids will love this combination. 😉
I love tofu! Pan-fried pressed tofu is one of my fave snacks! Your way of making this dish, using pressed tofu, looks mouthwatering! Definitely healthy, too. Speaking of millet porridge, I haven’t tried it … A good gluten-free alternative …
Pei-Lin: Interesting! I have never tried it as snack. Thanks for your compliment. Try to include millet in your diet if you can find them. 😉
i tried this last saturday.. YUM YUM!!! my daughter and i loved it!
i added in onions and mixed vege, even yummier!
Sandra: That’s very creative of you! May I know what kind and how much onion did you use (besides the 30g red onion stated in my recipe)?
Sandra: Thanks for your kind feedback. Glad to know the outcome. 😉
i just realised, just looking at the picture made me excited enuf and i went ahead to make my own recipe just based on ur title! hahaha… i didnt even see that ur recipe had onions in it! hee.. (see just ur pictures and titles are good enuf!)
I used one small red onion (sliced) and one tau kwa and half a pkt of minced meat for 2 adults and one tod.. and i cooked it like sweet sour pork style lor..
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=695136822&aid=43359#!/photo.php?fbid=10150192000171823&set=a.22271051822.43359.695136822&theater
I dont know if you can view this but this is a pic of what i did..
Sanda: Yes, I can view it. All the dishes you had cooked and posted in your Facebook look really yummy!! I think you should set up a blog to share your recipes with others. 😉
Sandra: I’m so glad that my photos and titles can inspire you to cook this dish straight away. That’s what I want to achieve through this food blog – to encourage parents to cook healthy food for their kids.
For the seasonings, I only used the plum sauce and water. My 2-year old loves it!
Huifang: Thank you for sharing your feedback! So glad your little one loves it! 🙂