Steamed Bean Curd with Minced Meat and Preserved Radish Recipe | Easy Asian Cooking

An easy, quick and healthy tofu (soybean curd) recipe, topped with minced meat, preserved radish and shallot. This humble dish has a soft character that envelops the palate in a comforting embrace.

Tofu (soybean curd) is an incredibly versatile, soy-based, protein rich, nutrient dense and high calorie food. By pairing it with right blend of ingredients, you will turn this budget-friendly, homey, bland and squishy ingredient into a superior taste dish that's bound to impress, varied from lip-smacking entrée to creamy sauces and delectable vegan desserts. The beauty of tofu is, it absorbs the flavours of the surrounding ingredients it is cooked with.

Perhaps as unappetizing as it sounds or as unappealing as the photos seen, this simple dish does not disappoint. In fact, this soft, smooth, silky and custard-like white tofu with the generous toppings of minced meat, preserved radish and shallot is surprisingly satisfactory.

This quick, easy and hassle-free dish is a wise choice for a speedy mid-week dinner. It take less than 30 minutes to whip up.

菜香豆腐食谱（菜脯肉脺蒸豆腐）

Ingredients :
2 block white Chinese-style soft bean curds (soft tofu)
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp shallot, peeled and chopped
4 tbsp preserved radish, soaked and chopped (菜脯)
200g minced meat

Seasoning :
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
dash of sesame oil and pepper
2 tbsp chopped spring onion

Method :

1. Heat up 1 tbsp oil in a skillet, sauté chopped shallot until fragrant. Then add in chopped preserved radish and stir-fry until aromatic. It is followed by adding in minced meat and seasoning, quick stir-fry to mix well. Remove the mixtures from skillet, and now the toppings is poured over the bean curds.

2. Steam the bean curds (with toppings) at high heat for 10 minutes. Sprinkle chopped spring onion over the steamed bean curds. Serve hot with fluffy rice.

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Spare Ribs in Black Bean Sauce Recipe | Easy Asian Cooking

Pork spare ribs are slightly browned and slowly braised in savoury fermented black bean sauce with garlic until tender. Black beans provide colour, flavour and texture in this easy to make entrée recipe.

Fermented black beans (豆豉) can hold their own unique salty and spicy flavor against the earthy flavor of spare ribs, and when it pairs with the spiciness of the red chillies, it's pretty alluring to the palate. The combination of flavours just simply get our taste buds screaming for more!

My childhood memories are vivid with images of mum preparing piping hot porridge with canned braised mud carp with fermented black beans (豆豉鯪魚) and preserved turnips omelette (chai poh nui in Hokkien) whenever I was down with fever. Thus I have been acquainted with similar dishes whenever my body's temperature soars, making braised mud carp with fermented black beans my natural comfort food to go well with gruel (thin watery porridge), realizing that I need to replenish lots of waters to tone down my body heat. Other common dishes made with fermented black beans is steamed spare ribs with fermented black beans and chilli pepper (豉椒排骨) and spare ribs in black bean sauce (蒜子豆豉骨), which I will lay out the later for you here.

Excerpt from wikipedia :

Fermented black beans (豆豉) is a popular flavouring used in Chinese cuisine, made by fermenting and salting soybeans, which turns the beans black, soft and mostly dry. But it should not be confused with black turtle beans, which is commonly used in the cuisines of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

蒜子豆豉骨食谱

Ingredients：材料
1 tbsp oil for stir-frying
3 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp fermented black bean (aka salted black beans), soaked for 20 minutes and drained, coarsely chopped
3 red chillies, seeded and sliced into pieces
600g pork spare ribs, trim and cut into serving pieces

Seasoning : 调味料
1 tbsp shao xing wine (Chinese rice wine or dry sherry)
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar
400ml water

Method : 做法

1. Heat the wok on medium-high to high heat and add oil, when oil is ready, reduce the heat to low, sauté chopped garlic and fermented black bean until fragrant. Then add in red chillies and onions, stir-fry with spatula until aromatic.

2. Turn to medium-high to high heat, add in spare ribs, stir-frying until they are lightly browned, then add in seasoning and bring to boil. Then reduce to medium low heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the spare ribs are tender. Dish up and serve.

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