Spicy Silken Tofu

Step 1

Rehydrate the shiitake mushrooms and black fungus. I left mine in room temperature water overnight. You can soak these for 20-30 minutes in hot water. Don’t discard the mushroom water.

Step 2

You can also use fresh shiitake mushrooms or other mushrooms of your choice.

Step 3

Squeeze out excess water from the mushrooms. Dice the shiitake mushrooms.

Step 4

For the black fungus or wood ear mushroom, I thinly sliced half and the remaining half I tore into small pieces. This is to have different textures in the dish later on.

Step 5

Slice the tofu into 1-inch (2.5cm) thick pieces. Set aside in a bowl.

Step 6

The tofu will release more water as it sits. Drain the water.

Step 7

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix well for the sugar and corn starch to dissolve. Feel free to adjust this to your desired taste.

Step 8

Heat a medium or large pot over medium high heat.

Step 9

Once hot, add the oil. Stir-fry the onion, white part of green onion, and ginger until aromatic - around 1 minute.

Step 10

Add the garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the bell pepper. Stir-fry for 1 minute.

Step 11

Add the sliced mushrooms then season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Step 12

Stir-fry the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes.

Step 13

Mix the sauce again since the corn starch tends to settle at the bottom of the bowl.

Step 14

Over medium heat, pour the sauce into the mushroom mixture.

Step 15

Mix well and allow the sauce to come to a boil. It will start to thicken from the starch.

Step 16

Add the silken tofu into the pot.

Step 17

Carefully mix the tofu into the sauce. Don’t over mix since this can easily break apart the silken tofu.

Step 18

Add more of the mushroom water if you want to thin out the sauce. I added 1-2 tbsp water since I wanted my sauce thick to serve over rice. You can add more or less depending on your preference.

Step 19

Taste the tofu with the sauce. Feel free to season with more soy sauce, to taste, if needed.

Step 20

Finish the tofu with sesame oil, chili oil (if desired), and chopped green onions.

Step 21

Serve while hot and enjoy over or with rice.