Braised Silken Tofu with minced Pork, Chili and Tomato

Chinese food is a very welcomed addition to the many cuisines eaten in our kitchen. One of my favorite Chinese chefs is Kylie Kwong whom I had the good fortune to meet in May ’08 in her Sydney restaurant. Her style of cooking is always fresh, her recipes are easy to follow and her diversity of cooking stems from her Chinese-Australian heritage. Kylie’s guiding philosophy at Billy Kwong is:
‘To leave as small and light an environmental footprint as possible, to give back to the community whenever and wherever we can, and to think globally and act locally.’

Serves 2
recipe from Kylie Kwong’s book, Recipe and Stories

300g silken tofu
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon ginger, julienne
140g pork mince
2 tablespoons shao hsing wine
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili bean sauce
1 1/4 tablespoons light soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 cup roughly diced ripe tomato (about 1 small tomato)
1 tablespoon black vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons finely sliced green shallots

Invert tofu onto a plate, drain off excess liquid and cut into 1cm cubes. Set aside.

Heat peanut oil in a hot wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly. Toss in the ginger and pork and stir-fry until the pork has just changed color. Quickly add wine, sugar and chili bean sauce and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add light soy sauce, stock and oyster sauce, then carefully slide in the reserved tofu. Cover and simmer gently for 3 minutes, to warm the tofu and finish cooking the pork. The spicy intensity of the chili bean sauce will also mellow during this time. Remove lid, reduce heat to a slow simmer, add tomato, vinegar, sesame oil and sark soy sauce and braise for 2 minutes.

To serve, spoon into a shallow bowl, garnish with shallots. Serve with rice as a meal for two, or as part of a banquet for 4.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: This is a dish you really should try if you’re skeptical about eating tofu. I never seem to get enough of this dish and I love how the tofu soaks up the flavors. As always, a balance of flavors, textures, colors etc. are all part of the philosophy of Chinese cooking which means understanding the philosophy of Yin and Yang (feminine/masculine, hot/cold, dark/bright, opposites and contrasts etc.).