Three Cup Tofu (San Bei, 三杯豆腐)

Step 1

I froze my block of extra firm tofu. I simply froze it in its packaged. So there’s no need to drain the water. The water inside the tofu will expand as it freezes and create these layers that’ll give the tofu a ‘meatier’ texture.

Step 2

To prepare the tofu, make sure to completely thaw your tofu the day before you plan to use it. Squeeze out as much water as you can from the tofu. It’s a sponge at this point so you’ll want to squeeze out all the water so it can absorb the seasonings.

Step 3

Carefully break apart the tofu into large chunks. You can also chop this. Be very careful with the tofu since it’s very brittle at this point.

Step 4

Once the tofu are in chunks, season it with soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper. Toss to coat well. Leave to marinate for 10-15 minutes.

Step 5

Meanwhile, prepare the coating. In a large bowl, mix together the corn starch, garlic powder, and ground pepper.

Step 6

Add each piece of tofu into the corn starch mix. Coat each piece well. If you need more corn starch, you can add more as needed.

Step 7

In a wok or non stick pan, heat some cooking oil. If you want to deep fry the tofu, add enough oil to submerge 3/4 of the tofu. You can also shallow fry the tofu on a non-stick pan with less oil - but this will take a longer time.

Step 8

Heat the oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot (you can test it out with a small piece - it should sizzle immediately), add in the tofu. Cook the tofu for 2-3 minutes on each side or until lightly golden and crisp. Transfer the tofu into a metal strainer with catch basin to drain excess oil or place on a cooling rack.

Step 9

You remove the oil from the pan/wok and use this for the stir-fry.

Step 10

Heat the same wok or pan over medium high heat. Add in the sesame oil.

Step 11

Once hot, stir-fry the ginger, garlic, and white part of the scallions. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until the scallions start to brown at the edges.

Step 12

Add the soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sugar, and water. Leave to come to a boil, around 2-3 minutes. The sauce will start to thicken from the sugar. Add the dried chiles (if using).

Step 13

Add the fried tofu and then coat in the sauce. The sauce will continue to thicken to coat the tofu.

Step 14

Add in the basil leaves. Toss to cook the basil. Turn off the heat.

Step 15

Serve this and enjoy immediately while still hot. This is best enjoyed with steamed rice.