Alright, I'll admit right off the bat that this ain't the most good looking dish. The first time I beheld it at our neighborhood Taiwanese restaurant I was like "whaat the heck!" But man, oh, man once we started eating this Mashed Tofu and Century Egg 涼拌皮蛋豆腐, it was baboom! Flavor texture explosion! Most favorite tofu dish ever, have to order it every time and everyone takes turns scraping the bottom of the glass serving jar.
This is a riff, if you will, on the traditional Tofu and Century Eggs 皮蛋豆腐 where the tofu and eggs are served arranged prettily but separately on a dish. Which is how I've always eaten it and it sure is yummy. But mash up this dish, chill it and somehow it turns the flavor up by a WOW factor as well as adding a lovely creaminess. Once you get a taste you just can't stop, it's really that good!
Century eggs 皮蛋 are duck eggs that have been preserved using clay, ash, quicklime and rice hulls. The preservation turns the white into a beautiful translucent brown black color and the yolk into a dark green grey. The taste becomes pungent and complex, uniquely addictive. Rather like that of some strong cheeses.
At wet markets century eggs are sold with the black ash still covering them but marked with radiating white lines. So graphic! In this case you will need to scrape off the ash before peeling the egg shell. If you buy from the supermarkets the ash is often washed away already, leaving the green grey egg shell clean, as per the photo above. These eggs only need to be peeled.
Century egg yolks come as two types. One is harder and can be cleanly sliced through. This is good for dishes where the yolks need to withstand stir frying or boiling. The other is softer and cannot be cleanly sliced through. This softer one is known as 糖心皮蛋, translated as 'sugar heart century egg' and is used to eat by itself as an appetizer/side dish or in dishes where the yolks can be melted into the dish. This 糖心皮蛋 is the one that is need for the success of this dish.
In the photo above we show the sliced century eggs. The lovely translucent brown whites are sliced small. The soft grey green yolk is sliced as well but you can see the stickiness of the result. No matter though, as the yolks will melt in with the tofu later during the mixing.
For the tofu we will use silken or soft tofu. (For more info see our Guide to Tofu.) We treat the tofu first by soaking it in boiling water. This will allow the tofu to release water as well as remove some of the grassy aroma of raw tofu.
When water has cooled, remove tofu and let sit on towels to absorb any extra water.
For an accent we add the citrusy and fresh taste of cilantro to contrast with the pungency of the century egg. Just a bit, chopped up.
We mix the cilantro and century egg first, using our spoon to mash the egg even more. See how the cilantro makes nice green flecks throughout?
Add the silken tofu and start mashing and mixing. This is how we achieve the overall creamy texture. The egg yolk should just kinda melt into the tofu as you mash.
When a little bit of everything is mixed with a little bit of everything else it's time to season. We add soy sauce, sesame oil and salt until each bite is a delight. All the flavors will infuse into the tofu as well as the century egg, making each bite as perfect as can be. Then it's time to chill and let the flavors develop.
Oh, it's done and it's truly scrummy! When ready for dinner just bring it out of the fridge and set a wee serving spoon into it. Super delicious spoonful after spoonful, Mashed Tofu and Century Egg will be a super hit at the dinner table, I promise!
Mashed Tofu and Century Egg
皮蛋豆腐
(4 servings) Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins Chill: 2 hrs
Ingredients:
- 10oz silken tofu, 300g
- 2 century eggs 皮蛋
- 1 tbsp minced cilantro
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- salt, to taste
Directions:
Carefully remove the tofu into mixing bowl. Separately boil enough water to cover the tofu. When water is boiled remove from heat and pour into the mixing bowl at the sides (i.e. not on top of the tofu) until water covers the tofu. Let sit for 10 mins or until the water is cool enough to handle.
Remove the tofu and place onto clean kitchen towel of paper to drain.
Scrape ash off the century eggs, if any. Rinse. Crack and peel off the egg shells. Dice the eggs into small pieces, especially the whites.
Rinse and mince the cilantro.
Mix the diced century egg and the cilantro. Add in the tofu and mix until completely combined.
Add the sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar. Mix and then taste. Then adjust by adding salt to taste.
Scrape all into the serving bowl, cover and let chill for at least 2 hours. Serve cold with a serving spoon. Enjoy!
Eggy Delights at The Hong Kong Cookery:
0 comments:
Post a Comment