“Tofu Canapé” is a name invented by Jason and I like it! I was going to name this erm “Steamed Tofu with Minced Pork and Shrimp” yeah so original I know. But of course, unlike a real canapé, you can’t hold this with your fingers although you can probably eat this in one bite (or two)!

I was thinking of what else to do with tofu. I’ve made claypot tofu (look out for my recipe!), Mapo Tofu, cooked them with tau cheo, used them in soups.. I love Agedashi Tofu but I don’t do deep fry. So I thought of 方太 (haha!) and remembered those tofu parcels with meat topping that I watched her make on television, and these Tofu Canapés were created! For those not in Singapore, 方太 is a popular cook in the 1980’s to early 1990’s who had her own cooking show. Every mother in Singapore knows 方太! (“这就是我为你们准备的鲜虾肉圆蒸豆腐，你也可以在家试一试。” Haha!)

For steaming, I used my Zojirushi rice cooker which came with the steaming pan:

Of course you can steam them in a wok or stacked steamer. The water chestnuts lend a nice sweet crunch to the minced pork. I get those pre-peeled ones from Sheng Siong at $2 a packet. Please use fresh ones if you can! Leftovers can be used to brew a waterchestnut drink or my Wintermelon Soup with Pork Balls. I hope you try making the Tofu Canapés.. I had fun cooking these little parcels!

The post Tofu Canapé (Steamed Tofu Parcels with Pork and Prawns) appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

This dish usually involves steaming the tofu and mushroom for 5-10 minutes but because I am not going to wash my Tefal plastic 3-tiered steamer just for one tofu dish, I microwaved the tofu instead to heat it up. I know right, super lazy but very fast and still delicious!

Makes 2 servings

What I used:

1 block tofu (I used Fortune Silken Tofu with Omega 3)
3 dried chinese mushrooms (stems removed), soaked and sliced
A handful of parsley
Spring onions, sectioned
1 red chillies, sliced
3 shallots, sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon oil
1 tablespoon tau cheo (chili bean sauce, sometimes also called hot bean paste or spicy bean sauce)
Mix the following seasonings together:
1 teaspoon hua diao jiu (chinese cooking wine)
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
8 tablespoons water or chicken stock
A dash of pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon corn flour

1. Heat up your pan, add the oil then fry shallots and garlic for 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to brown them.
2. Add in the mushrooms and tau cheo and fry for a few minutes.
3. Add in the combined seasonings and bring to boil. Lower the flame and cook til thickened.
4. Microwave the tofu for 1 minute and pour boiling gravy over. Top with chopped parsley, spring onions and sliced red chillies.

How much I spent:

$0.80 for tofu
$0.30 for parsley, spring onions and red chillies
Everything else from my pantry

Total cost per serving: $0.55

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Enjoy with a steaming bowl of rice for a meatless meal. You can also add in some minced meat together with the mushrooms, and double the portion of gravy to spoon over blanched noodles if tofu is not your thing. This is a quick and simple recipe for a wholesome meal. Please don’t tell me you have no time to cook!

The post Ready in 5 minutes! Tofu Block in Mushroom and Tau Cheo Gravy appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.