Pipa tofu(琵琶豆腐) has been one of my favourite Chinese dishes since I was a child, as we often had it in Dai Pai Dong(大排檔). Somehow it seems to be fading out, and I no longer see it on the menu in a proper Chinese restaurant.
Perhaps its complicated steps reduce its popularity among the chefs. I am also not a big fan of deep frying nor making a mess in the kitchen.
When I first came across this Pipa Tofu recipe in Fuchsia Dunlop’s book, ‘Every Grain of Rice‘— it’s vegetarian and looks manageable!
I further simplify the process, and the main difference from other Pipa Tofu recipes is:
- Shallow-fry, not deep-fry
- Mix with prawns, no meat
- Enhance flavour and texture with shiitake and carrots
- Hands free from raw prawns (or meat) — I use a blender to blitz everything, and spoons to form the shape.
Cooking Notes
- Tofu: The softer the tofu, the more water content it has, meaning the more difficult it is to hold the shape. So I used organic super firm tofu from Aldi — the firmest I ever had in my life.
- Prawn: It’s optional; some use minced meat instead. I prefer prawn for a better binding. You man also make it vegetarian, but remember to increase the starch content.
- Starch: Purely for binding, not for flavour. I only have tapioca starch, so I just used it. Potato or corn flour will do the job, too.
- Filling: What to fill inside the tofu puffs is totally up to you. Besides seasoning, I follow the cookbook suggestions — adding diced shiitake and carrots — they are great for texture and extra flavour!
- Sauce: Likewise, it has no one formula. It can be the typical oyster + soy sauce or utilise the shiitake soaking water as a base for the sauce.
Alternative Pipa Tofu Video Recipe (More Restaurant Style!)
Pipa Tofu Recipe
It’s a tofu recipe to impress, not an everyday home cooking one for sure. Try it on a weekend! It’s rewarding, and perhaps you want to make it again!
Ingredients
Serves 2-4
For the Tofu Puffs
- 200 g super firm tofu
- 100 g prawns
- 1 dried shiitake
- 40 g carrot, finely diced
- 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
- 1 heaped tbsp tapioca starch (or other starch)
- 1 large egg white
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
For the Sauce
- 2 dried shiitake
- 250 g water
- 1 scallion, cut into rings
- A few slices of carrots
- A few slices of peeled ginger
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- slurry
- 1 tsp potato flour
- 1 tbsp cold water
How to Make
- Begin with soaking all the dried shiitake in 250 g water (mentioned in the sauce section) for a few hours to release its aroma. Then dice one and slice the other two.
- For the tofu puffs, blitz the tofu, prawns and egg white together into a fine paste. Then add salt, white pepper, coriander and starch, together with the diced shiitake and carrots — mix well.
- Heat enough oil to coat a frying pan and set to medium-high heat. Use two tablespoons to form the tofu mixture into oval shapes, then carefully slip into the pan. Fry until all sides are nicely coloured. Set aside to a plate.
- Then, use the same pan to make the sauce. There should be enough oil left behind; add more if not. Stir-fry the scallion(white parts) and ginger until aromatic, slice the remaining two shiitake and add them in, together with the carrots. Give a pinch of salt for seasoning.
- Stir in the shiitake soaking water, soy sauce and sesame oil, and bring to a bubble. Let it cook for a few minutes to soften the shiitake. Have a taste and adjust.
- Mix the slurry and add it into the sauce. Fold in the tofu puffs to warm it up. Scatter in the green scallion before serving.
