Tofu and ham 火腿香煎豆腐

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Since I am fortunate enough to be able to easily put my hands on some of China's best tofu and some of China's best ham, it would be a pity not to combine them into a simple main dish from time to time. The premium Yunnan tofu I'm bragging about is from Shiping Town 石屏县城 in Honghe Prefecture 红河州 to the south of Kunming, and this fine Yunnan ham is from Xuanwei 宣威 in Qujing Prefecture 曲靖 to the northeast. I buy them both fresh by weight at my local wet market.

 

Bear in mind that wherever you are, it's easy enough to substitute a local tofu and a local ham for these particular specialty items. The results can still be tasty and the cooking technique is the same. Here's how I did it today.

 

Assemble the ingredients. Only used about half of this small block of dark-cured ham. Three or four dried chili peppers 干辣椒 for a little heat. This isn't a fussy recipe with critical weights or measures; a little more or less of any single item won't much matter. You can adjust it to taste. I've made it many times and never had it fail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smash the big spring onion 大葱 with the edge of your knife 菜刀 to partially flatten it out and release more of the aroma and flavor. Then slice it thin on a bias, with the knife blade almost parallel with the cutting board.

 

 

 

 

Slice a little bit of ham into very thin slivers. Use a just-sharpened knife and try to make them nearly transparent. Roughly dice one fresh tomato. The one I used here is from a batch that I knew to have slightly tough skin, so I quickly dunked it in boiling water and slipped the skin off before cutting it up. Put one large tablespoon of oyster sauce 耗油 together with one large tablespoon of catsup 番茄酱 in a small bowl and mix in two or three tablespoons of water, making a slurry.

 

 

 

 

 

Cut the tofu sheets into rectangles of a size that will later be easy to grasp with chopsticks at the table. Brown them slightly over low to medium heat in a non-stick pan with a little bit of oil. When they are golden on both sides, take them out and reserve them nearby.

 

 

 

Now add the ham, roughly-torn chili pods, and spring onions into the pan and lightly saute them. Add the tomatoes and the sauce, stir it up, and then add back the tofu. Heat through to combine flavors and serve. Since the ham, the oyster sauce and the catsup all have some salt, you won't need to add any extra.

 

 

 

This tasty dish only takes 10 or 15 minutes from start to finish and doesn't require much in the way of special equipment or cleanup. Give it a try one day when you aren't sure what to cook for supper. Your expedition into the flavors of Yunnan will be amply rewarded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shelley]

Looks really tasty, a winter warmer.

 

I have never knowingly had tofu. Is it something i would be safe to try with my nut allergies, I realise you can't answer that with 100% certainty but what I mean is it it usual practice to use any nuts in the making, storing, packing or flavouring of tofu. Or is it just plain and ready for you to add you own flavours.

 

I get the impression that tofu is a bit like China's version of cheese in as much as it has many varieties, and ways of using it.

 

Thanks again.

[abcdefg]

Thanks, Shelley.

 

14 minutes ago, Shelley said:

I have never knowingly had tofu. Is it something i would be safe to try with my nut allergies, I realise you can't answer that with 100% certainty but what I mean is it it usual practice to use any nuts in the making, storing, packing or flavouring of tofu.

 

I don't think that nuts are ever used in making plain tofu. It is just soybeans and water. Soy milk 豆浆 is allowed to form curd, which is pressed into blocks. Nourishing and healthy. So popular in China that supermarkets and appliance stores here even sell small counter-top machines for making it at home. (I've never tried that.)

 

Here's a pretty good overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu 

 

You are right about it coming in lots of varieties. My neighborhood wet market probably has a dozen or more kinds. It's also a very versatile food, and can become either savory or sweet according to how it is handled.

 

Must confess I never ate much of it before coming to China. It kind of grows on you. Good stuff!

 

 

[Shelley]

"The term tofu is used by extension for similarly textured curdled dishes that do not use soy products, such as "almond tofu" (almond jelly), tamago-dōfu (ja) (egg), goma-dōfu (ja) (sesame), or peanut tofu (Chinese 落花生豆腐 luòhuāshēng dòufu and Okinawan jīmāmi-dōfu (ja)). "

 

Above quote from the wiki article link you shared.

WHAAAAAA!!!! Oh heck. Now I will have to be really careful. If they make any of the nutty ones at the same place it won't be good.

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Those aren't really tofu. They just misuse the name in order to link it to something familiar. They would not ordinarily be made by a tofu producer.

[Shelley]

I get that but its the cross contamination that worries me. Have you ever seen these nutty versions? Are they common? Are they made in different places?

 

So many questions, so little tofu

[abcdefg]

I understand your concern, Shelley.

 

There are ways to make tofu at home. I've seen it done. More trouble of course.

 

Not sure I've ever seen those almond and peanut products here in Kunming, though they surely exist. They aren't carried by the tofu sellers I visit. I think they would be more likely found in a sweets or pastry shop.

[Shelley]

Oh well I will see what I can find to experiment with. Thanks for your help.

[Alex_Hart]

I've asked all three of my tofu selling aunties about all their varieties of tofu, and none of them ever had a nut tofu (I went on the hunt for tempeh, a favorite of mine, and never found it. Tempeh often includes nuts when sold in the United States). Having said that, I wouldn't necessarily trust a Chinese kitchen to not have nuts nearby. 

 

However, you're in the UK. Back home in NYC, I can see how it might be popular to add nuts or use nut milk to make it, but American labeling laws are rather more stringent than Chinese and our tofu boxes label "made in a facility with nuts" etc. 

[Shelley]

That true Alex, hadn't thought about that, I will be buying in a country that has strict labelling laws.