Yong tau foo aka stuffed bean curd
Yong tau foo is a Chinese soup dish with Hakka (Hakka are people in southern China),origins commonly found in China, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. There are also Teochew and Hokkien variations.
The dish originated in the early 1960s in a restaurant called "Chew Kuan" as tofu stuffed with a meat paste of fish and meat, thereby earning the dish its name "Yong Tau Foo", which means "stuffed bean curd." Since then all variety of vegetables and even fried fritters have been similarly stuffed, and the name Yong Tau Foo has thus been used liberally to apply to foods prepared in this manner.
Yong tau foo is essentially a clear consomme soup containing a varied selection of food items, including fish balls, crab sticks, bitter gourds, cuttlefish, lettuce, ladies fingers, as well as chilies, and various forms of fresh produce, seafood and meats common in Chinese cuisine.
Some of these items, such as bitter gourd and chili, are usually filled with fish paste (surimi). The foods are then sliced into bite-size pieces, cooked briefly in boiling broth and then served either in the broth as soup or with the broth in a separate bowl.
The dish is eaten with chopsticks and a soup spoon and can be eaten by itself (served with a bowl of steamed rice) or with any choice of egg or rice noodles, or bee hoon (rice vermicelli).
Essential accompaniments are a spicy, vinegary chili sauce, originally made with red fermented bean curd and distantly similar in taste to Sriracha sauce, and a distinctive brown sweet bean sauce or hoisin sauce for dipping.
Fish paste
1kg Mackerel fish ( buy those with polka dots skin.)
1 tsp salt + 100 mls iced water (estimate)
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp corn starch + 1 tbsp water
Note for making fish paste:
1/ Adjust water to the consistency of the softness require.
2/ Fresh fish require more water.
3/ To test if the fish paste is ready, boil some water drop 1 tbsp of fish paste. Boil for few minutes until cook, taste it. If it's not springy, chop again, then throw or slam several times. ( Refer to below step 2 & 3 )
1/ Remove the guts from the fish. Run a sharp knife horizontally along the backbone of the fish from the tail to the top. Use a tablespoon to scrape the fish meat.
2/ Use the back of the heavy cleaver to chop the fish meat, add salt water in between the chopping. Chop the fish meat until smooth.
Note: You can use food processor to do the job.
3/ Okay, time to de-stress. If you have somebody in mind that you feel like punching, get ready!
Don't worry it's not earth scattering, it's a basic Anger Reduction Management training aka ARM training.
4/ Wet your hand, divide the fish paste into 2 or 3 portion. Throw or slam the fish paste on the chopping board or mixing bowl several times to achieve a springy fish paste. Make sure you throw or slam the fish paste on the chopping board or mixing bowl not somewhere else.
5/ Add the cornstarch mixture and mixed well.
6/ Keep in container and chill in the fridge till ready to use. Your can keep the left over fish paste in the freezer.
In case you can't get polka dot Spanish mackerel in your country, if you like can use chicken meat.
Chicken paste
500gm chicken breast meat - cut into small pieces.
90 mls iced water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cooking oil
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp corn flour mix with 1 tbsp water
1/ Add the chicken meat and 60 mls cold water, mince in food processor until paste is form.
2/ Mix the 30 mls cold water with the seasoning ingredients. Add to the minced chicken and mix well with a spatula.
3/ Add the cornflour mixture and mix well.
4/ Cover with cling wrap and chill in fridge for 30 mins.
5/ Stuff the white tofu, bean curd puff, egg plants, bitter gourd, jalapeno, mini mushroom with fish paste or chicken paste.
6/ Heat up oil and pan fry all the stuffed yong tau foo, bean curd puff, bitter gourds, egg plants, jalapeno, mushroom until slightly brown.
Ingredients for stuffing
6 pieces white tofu
6 pieces bean curd puff
6 pieces fried tofu
1 small bitter gourd
1 mini size eggplants
10 pieces red and green chillies
6 pieces jalapeno
6 pieces black mushroom
6 ladies fingers ( optional )
1/ Cut the white tofu and fried tofu into half and make a pocket.
2/ Make a small slit in between the bean curd puff.
3/ Slice the bitter gourd to 1/4 inch thick, remove the seeds.
4/ Slice the egg plants 1/2 inch diagonally and cut a slit in between, do not cut thru.
5/ Remove the seeds and inner membrane of the chillies or jalapeno.
6/ Soak the black mushroom in hot water until soft and puffy. Wash and pat dry with kitchen towel.
7/ Wash and pat dry the ladies finger, leave the stem and make a slit lengthwise.
8/ Stuff the white tofu, fried tofu, bean curd puff, bitter gourd, egg plants, chillies, mushroom and ladies finger with fish or chicken paste.
9/ Mixed 1/4 tsp corn starch with 1 tbsp water as a foundation to smooth the surface.
Broth for the Yong tau foo
100gm soya bean - wash and soak 2 hours.
150gm anchovies or chicken stock
2000 mls water
Salt & pepper to taste
Dash of sesame oil
Chopped coriander leaves and spring onion
4 to 5 shallots - slice thinly and fry till crispy.
Bean sprout
Glass noodles - soak till soften.
Yong tau foo with transparent noodles, bean sprout and water convolvulus.
1/ Heat 2 tbsp oil, stir fry the anchovies until golden brown. Note: You can replace the anchovies with chicken stock.
2/ Add water and soya bean, boil till the bean is soft.
3/ Add salt and pepper to taste.
4/ Action start, put in all the stuffed items to the boiling broth except the ladies finger. Cook the ladies finger last or else it'll be very mushy.
5/ Let it boil for few minutes. Add a dash of sesame oil, remove from heat.
6/ Take a small pot, add some broth. Cook the glass noodle until soft and transparent. Add in a handful of bean sprout and water convolvulus and let it cook for one minute.
7/ Serve the glass noodles with yong tau foo, beansprout and water convolvulus. Sprinkle with coriander leaves/spring onion and fried shallots.
Another way to cook yong tau foo.
Heat some oil in the wok, add in garlic and fry till golden brown. Add oyster sauce, black soya sauce, bird eye chillies and mix well.
Add a little water and stew the pan fried stuffed yong tau foo for 5 mins. Add salt and pepper, sugar to taste.
Serve oyster sauce yong tau foo with rice.
6 tbsp Hoisin sauce
100mls Water
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp black soya sauce
2 tsp light soya sauce
A dash of pepper
1/ Mix all the ingredients and cook till thick.
2/ Drizzle some dipping sauce on top the yong tau foo.
Chillies Sauce
6 red chillies
3 cloves garlic
Salt and sugar to taste
Vinegar to taste
1/ Pound the red chillies and garlic until very fine.
2/ Add salt, sugar, vinegar and a little bit of water.
Soy and Health Facts
In comparison to many of today’s major food sources, soybeans are truly a nutritional superpower. They contain the highest amount of protein of any grain or legume, and substantial amounts of fat, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and a virtual drugstore of phytochemicals useful for the prevention and treatment of many chronic diseases.
Soybeans vary widely in nutrient content based on the specific variety and growing conditions, but typically they contain 35-40 percent protein, 15-20 percent fat, 30 percent carbohydrates, 10 to 13 percent moisture, and around 5 percent minerals and ash.
Nutritional and Health Benefits of Soybeans
Soybeans contain all three of the macro-nutrients required for good nutrition: complete protein, carbohydrate and fat, as well as vitamins and minerals, including calcium, folic acid and iron.
Soybeans are the only common plant food that contain complete protein. Soybean protein provides all the essential amino acids in the amounts needed for human health. The amino acid profile of soy protein is nearly equivalent in quality to meat, milk and egg protein.
Soya Bean Milk
500gm soya bean
3000 mls water
Sugar to taste
4 to 5 pandan leaves ( optional in case you can't get from oversea )
Cheese/ cotton bag
1/ Wash the soya bean and soak for 5 hours.
2/ You can grind soya bean with food processor, blender, electric grinder or soya bean maker.
3/ If use food processor or blender, blend the bean with 2000 mls water. Pour the soya bean pulp in batches into the cheese/ cotton bag, add water and squeeze the soya milk. ( Use the balance 1000 mls water )
4/ If soya milk too thick add a little water at a time. Note: If using food processor or blender, it involve more bicep/ triceps training and hard labour.
5/ Sieve the soya milk 2 times with the cheese/cotton bag.
6/ Boil the soya bean milk with pandan leaves using high heat. The soya milk may stick to the bottom of the pot, therefore it burn pretty fast. Stir continuously with a wooden spatula.
7/ Once boil, low the heat. Continue to cook for 20 mins and stir every few minutes. Skimmed off any foam or skin that form. Discard pandan leaves, add sugar to taste.
8/ Cool the soya bean milk, keep in the bottles and chill in the fridge. Best to consume within 3 days.
Note: Raw bean contain a factor know as a trypsin inhibitor. The protein contained in the beans cannot be properly assimilated by the body unless the beans are well cooked. So make sure the soya milk is properly boil at least 15 to 20 mins to get rid of the raw bean taste.
Apart from keeping good health eating soya or yong tau fu, having a soya dessert will make your day. Or after a hard day's night. Maybe like the Hari Krishna people, happy as a lark.
or even have thoughts of taking the plunge, do a bungee jump.
And incidentally, if any of you ladies about to increase the world's population in a few months, 'According to research done, during pregnancy, one to two servings of soy daily is fine. A serving is half a cup of tofu or a cup of soymilk.
Soya Bean Pudding
11 bowls ( 250mls ) of soya milk ( homemade or store brought )
125 mls evaporated milk
1 tbsp agar agar powder
2 tbsp sugar
5 pcs pandan leaves
1/ Dissolve the agar agar powder with 250 mls of soya milk.
3/ Pour the agar agar solution to the remaining soya milk, sugar and mix well.
4/ Cook in high heat with pandan leaves till boil. Stir constantly to prevent burn and continue to simmer for another 10 mins over low heat.
5/ Remove from heat. Add in the evaporated milk, stir well.
6/ Discard pandan leaves and skimmed of the bubbles.
7/ Pour into the 4oz round /180mls cup ( disposable plastic container with cover) and leave to set.
8/ After 10 mins skimmed off the bean curd skin in order to get a smooth surface. Don't throw away the bean curd skin, pop into your mouth or eat with soya milk.
9/ When the pudding cool, cover with the plastic cover and chilled in the fridge till set.
10/ Serve with sugar syrup or any fruits of your choice.
Sugar syrup
Castor sugar 300 gm
water 350 mls
Pandan leaves 3 - 4 pcs
Mix all and cook till boil, continue to simmer for 5 mins. Serve with soya bean pudding.
Soya milk is rich in isoflavone, it helps in improving skin complexion. It works as an excellent moisturizer and keep the skin soft and slow down aging.
And not sure this an old, loose dentures grandmother's tale, but in China a lot of Chinese believe having soya helps give incoming baby a smooth complexion.
But we know what he wants soon.
Soya bean pudding taste excellent with cold soya milk.
Serve soya bean pudding with sugar syrup and frozen strawberry for extra kick. Freeze the strawberry overnight, defrost before serving.
For a change in your breakfast of 3 eggs, sunny side up and marmalade and toasts, you might like to try this Chinese croissants aka 'you tiao'....dip in soya milk breakfast. You can refer to my Chinese croissants recipe here
Some may like it hot, some may like it cold... But do give dipping the croissant in cold soya milk.....and you'll be rolling your eyes with a loud, "ummmmm"!
And jiggling your legs. Maybe even kiss your wife/ hubby twice for this nourishing breakfast'.
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