Golden tofu puffs generously filled with seasoned pork, glutinous rice, shiitake mushrooms and dried shrimp, then steamed until tender and finished with a savoury sauce.
Have ready all ingredients needed to make the stuffed tofu puffs.
Place 2 tbsp glutinous rice in a bowl. Add enough water and soak for at least 1 hour till soft. The soaked glutinous rice is ready when you can easily break its grain with the finger.
Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water till soft.
Cut the soaked shiitake mushrooms in half lengthwise. Then cut into thin strips and diced as small as possible.
Prepare some fresh pork belly or pork shoulder and minced using a knife, preferably by hand as hand chopped meat will have a slightly grainy texture. Do not chop it too finely. Then set aside in a big bowl.
Heat up a dry wok. Then briefly toast cleaned dried shrimp over lowest heat till dry and fragrant. Stir occasionally with spatula to prevent the dried shrimp from burning. Then chop finely the toasted dried shrimp with knife and set aside.
Lastly chop finely ginger, carrot and spring onions and set aside.
Prepare Stuffed Tofu Puffs Filling:
In the bowl of minced meat, add in the chopped ginger, chopped spring onions, chopped fried dried shrimp and diced carrot as well as the diced dried shiitake mushrooms.
Then add oyster sauce, salt, chicken stock granules, a dash of ground white pepper, a splash of cooking wine to remove any fishy smell and to enhance the aroma. Lastly add light soy sauce and cornstarch or potato starch. Adding cornstarch increase the stickiness of the minced meat.
Then stir the meat to mix the seasonings evenly. Then stir it quickly in one direction for a short while to fully mixed the minced meat. Continue to stir until the mince meat is a little sticky. Next, repeatedly pound and knead the mince meat until it becomes a sticky well blended paste. This will make the meat firmer, more chewy and delicious.
Then add the soaked glutinous rice. Mix thoroughly the glutinous rice into the minced meat. Once it is well mixed, we are ready to make the stuffed beancurd.
Make Hakka Style Stuffed Tofu Puffs:
Have ready some fresh tofu puffs. Use a pair of scissors to cut a small opening on the tofu puff. Next, press the inside with the finger. Then stuff the meat mixture firmly into the tofu until it's completely stuffed and slightly rounded on top.
Continue to cut small openings on the surface of the tofu puffs and stuff with the minced meat completely.
Prepare to steam the stuffed tofu puffs. Bring water to a boil in a steamer. Put in the stuffed beancurd, cover and steam for about 20 minutes till cooked. Set aside while we make the braising sauce.
Prepare the ingredients to make the braising sauce.
Add some water and bring to a boil. Add in all seasonings and stir to mix well.
Stir with a spoon and then thicken the braising sauce with cornstarch slurry. Lastly add a little cooking oil for a glossy finish.
Pour the prepared braising sauce evenly over the steamed stuffed tofu puffs. Garnish with chopped spring onions and served immediately.
For beginners, firm tofu and tofu puffs are the easiest choice to make this dish.
Different tofu gives different texture. Firm tofu is the easiest to stuff and holds shape well. Tofu puffs readily absorb the savoury sauce, allowing the flavour to reach both the outside and the airy centre.
Make only a small slit on the tofu puffs. Avoid tearing the tofu puff's skin.
Keep the tofu puffs in the freezer if you’re not using them. When you want to make the stuffed tofu puffs, remove them from the freezer to let them return to room temperature before using them to stuff the filling.
Hand minced the meat, instead of processed with machine. This will create a better texture for the meat.