Name: Braised Tofu, Family-Style, with Black Vinegar
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) fresh chicken stock; 1 teaspoon grated palm sugar (jaggery); 1 small handful of pickled salted radish, sliced; 1 small handful of pickled mustard greens, sliced; ½ knob of ginger, peeled and cut into julienne; 1 tablespoon kecap manis; 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, roasted and ground; 2 tablespoons shaoxing; 2 spring onions (scallions), sliced; 300 g (10½ oz) firm tofu, sliced into 6 pieces; 1 tablespoon light soy sauce; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; ½ Lebanese (short) cucumber, finely sliced; 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar; 2 braised shiitake mushrooms, sliced

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Balance and Harmony

By Neil Perry

Published 2008

About

Easy and delicious, the interesting flavours of the pickles make it really worth chasing them down. We used to sell loads of this at Wockpool in Sydney. This tofu is firmer than silken and is easier to handle in stir-fries, although this particular dish is really more like making a sauce and heating the tofu through. I love all the complex flavours here... very satisfying.