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Three-cup tofu
Sān bēi dòufu: tofu glazed with sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine, finished with Thai basil
Three-cup dishes (san bei) are cooked in every Taiwanese home and in the rè chǎo stir-fry beer halls, where they arrive at the table still crackling in a clay pot. The name comes from the old equal measures of sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine; today cooks use less, but the result is the same sticky, garlicky glaze lifted at the last second by a fistful of Taiwanese basil. Chicken is the most famous version; tofu soaks up the sauce even better and is just as popular in vegetarian restaurants around Taipei. Serve with plain rice. Chef's tip: fry the ginger slices in the sesame oil until they curl and frill at the edges before anything else goes in; that is where the dish's warm, toasty smell comes from.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Toss 16 oz firm tofu gently with 2 tbsp cornflour until each cube has a thin, dry coating.
Step 2: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok or wide frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the tofu for 6–8 minutes, turning, until crisp and golden on most sides. Lift onto a plate and pour off any oil left in the wok.
8 minStep 3: Add 3 tbsp toasted (black) sesame oil and 1 ⅜ oz fresh ginger to the wok and cook over a medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, until the ginger slices are curled, dry at the edges and smell toasty. Keep the heat moderate: sesame oil turns bitter if it smokes.
4 minStep 4: Add 10 cloves garlic and 2 red chillies and fry for 2 minutes, until the garlic is golden in spots.
2 minStep 5: Pour in 4 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, 3 tbsp light soy sauce and 1 tbsp brown sugar, stir and bring to a lively bubble. Return the tofu and toss over a medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes until the sauce has reduced to a dark, sticky glaze that clings to every cube. Common mistake: adding the basil while there's still a pool of thin sauce; it stews and goes black instead of staying bright and perfumed.
4 minStep 6: Take the wok off the heat, throw in 1 oz Thai basil leaves and toss for 20 seconds, just until it wilts. Serve straight away with 1 ⅓ lb cooked jasmine rice.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does three-cup tofu take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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