Savory Tofu With Chili Oils (豆腐配辣椒油)

In our Chinese culture, tofu is the most common dishes we will have in our dining table. From the ancient times till modern days today, chili oils is the secret weapon to enjoy with tofu. 

The spiciness and the fragrant of spices bring up the mushroom sauce flavor.

I recommended to adding the leaf celery known as chinese celery for more aroma to the recipes.

Original recipes for chili oils we need to saute the spices in low heat for 30 minutes but in my method I only take about 10-15 minutes because I worried later the spices became bitterness and over burning.

For those who enjoy spicy food, I suggest you to add in Szechuan peppercorn to increase the level of spiciness and aromatic in my recipes.

As a Chinese vegetarian it's common to used ginger as our main ingredient in our recipes for health purpose. In Chinese culture we believe ginger able to reduce muscle pain and soreness and it is suitable for vegetarianism or veganism to taking it daily.

Remember to switch off the heat before adding the chili powder, chili flakes and other seasoning in the hot spices oils and whisk all the mixture. The chili oils can be stored for few months in room temperature. Ingredient 1 Pack Soft Tofu 1/2 Cup Frozen Stem Mushroom-chopped [ Fresh Stem Mushroom (Soaked until soften) ] Mixture Seasoning 1 Tbsp Mushroom Sauce 1 Tsp Vegetarian BBQ Sauce 1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce 2 Tsp Sugar 2 Tsp Sesame Oils 1/2 Tsp Ginger Powder 1/4 Tsp Seasoning 100 ml Water (40ml | 50-60ml) Chili Oils Ingredients 100 ml Olive Oils / Grape Oils 1/2 Tsp Black Peppercorn / Szechuan peppercorn 3 Bays Leaf 3 Anise Star

2 Cinnamon Stick 1 Tbsp Chili Powder 3 Tbsp Chili Flakes 1/2 Tsp Ginger Powder 1/4 Seasoning

Method Chili Oils Preparation 1. Heat 100 ml oils in low heat and adding Black Peppercorn or Szechuan Peppercorn, Bay Leaf, Anise Star and Cinnamon Stick saute until fragrant. It is takes about 20 to 30 minutes in original recipes but I used about 10-15 minutes only. 2. Then switch-off the heat and adding chili powder, chili flakes, ginger powder and seasoning and stir until dissolve and set aside.

Steam Tofu Preparation 3. Open the tofu from the pack and remove the excess water and steam for 20-30 minutes. 4. After Steamed drain the excess water for second times and prepared to cut and set aside.

Mushroom Gravy Preparation 5. In a clean wok adding the mixture seasoning with 40 ml water and let it cook estimated 2-3 minutes in low heat. 6. Adding the chopped stem mushroom and 50-60ml water if necessary. 7. Continue to cook estimated 5-6 minutes. If you are using fresh stem mushroom it takes more longer times to cook estimated 10 -15 minutes. Decoration Preparation 8. Pour in the mushroom sauce on top of steam tofu and some chili oils. 9. I used red and green capsicum as my decoration.