This traditional Chinese Stuffed Tofu made Hakka style tastes homey and full of protein. The tender shrimp combined with a soft and silky tofu is super delicious in texture and flavor. Steam them and pour over some savory sauce for the best bite!
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Many dishes that we eat at home are Hakka inspired because of my grandma. Hakka is a Chinese ethnic group in southern China and some of the traditional dishes include Chinese Steamed eggplant and Chinese stuffed peppers. When we stuff tofu, peppers, and eggplant, we usually use a pork and shrimp filling. But since we already did that for jalapenos, I wanted to show you a shrimp paste version!
Ingredients:
- egg tofu (firm tofu works great too!) – the texture of egg tofu is soft and jelly-like. I love how smooth the texture is. It usually comes in a tube form at the asian grocery store. Cut the package from the middle to ensure that the tofu doesn’t break apart.
- large shrimp – the base of the filling is made from shrimp paste, which creates a bouncy texture.
- white pepper – this doesn’t give any heat to the shrimp filling and is very light and fine compared to black pepper. If using black pepper, you will also see small specks of black which may not look as aesthetic.
- corn starch – this is needed to bind the shrimp paste together and make it more smooth. I don’t recommend substituting other types of flour for this.
- olive oil – any type of oil works for this dish. This helps bind the shrimp paste together.
Sauce
The base of the sauce is oyster sauce which gives a sweet and umami flavor. To make it more salty, I added soy sauce and chicken bouillon. You will need to make sure the corn starch is mixed well with the sauce or else your sauce will be clumpy. Other types of flour doesn’t give that nice shiny sauce that corn starch gives so I don’t recommend substituting the corn starch.
How to Make Stuffed Tofu:
Step 1. Chop and mince shrimp until it becomes a paste.
Step 2. In a large bowl, add shrimp paste, ½ teaspoon salt, pinch of white pepper, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon corn starch, ½ tbs olive oil, minced ginger (optional) and sliced green onions. Mix until well combined and set aside.
Step 3. Slice egg tofu 2 inches thick. Gently place on a steaming plate. Using a small spoon, scoop little bit out of the center. You can eat the leftover tofu or use it in soup 🙂
Step 4. Sprinkle little bit of corn starch on the tofu. This helps the filling stick to the tofu. Place 1 teaspoon of shrimp filling to the center of the tofu and gently press it down (helps the filling stick more!).
Step 5. Steam the tofu on high heat for 7-8 minutes. Pour out excess water after steaming. Be careful the plate is really hot!
Step 6. To make the sauce, stir water, oyster sauce, soy sauce, corn starch, and chicken bouillon (optional) in a bowl. Make sure the corn starch is not settled at the bottom. Then pour in the sauce pan. Heat on medium heat and constantly whisk until the sauce thickens (3-4 minutes). Pour the sauce on top of the stuffed tofu and enjoy while warm.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you don’t have egg tofu, you can use firm tofu and cut them into squares.
- Switch up the proteins! Adding minced pork or minced fish to this dish makes the filling extra juicy and delicious.
- Instead of tofu, you can also add the filling on top of mushrooms. Steam them the same way as tofu and you get a nice juicy bite!
Expert Tips
- Dust a tiny bit of corn starch on the tofu before adding the filling. This ensures that the filling sticks to the tofu and doesn’t come out when your eating it!
- The sauce is supposed to be silky and smooth. To ensure it doesn’t clump, make sure you constantly whisk the sauce in the pan while cooking.
Recipe FAQs
This dish is usually served family style with hot white rice and a vegetable dish like sauteed veggies. You can also serve with this wood ear mushroom salad or this cabbage stir fry.
You can place them in a bowl and cover in the refrigerator (up to 2 days). Remember when you transfer the tofu around, it will cause breakage. Just steam them for a few minutes the next day or place in a microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Absolutely! Use plant-based proteins like beyond meat. However, I have not made it vegan before so I’m unsure if it will taste similar. For the sauce, substitute with vegan oyster sauce!
Looking For More Delicious Chinese Dishes?
- How To Make Easy Chinese Hot Pot – delicious simmering broth with vegetables and thin slices of meat
- Chinese Stuffed Eggplant – is a flavorful dish where tender eggplant slices are filled with a savory mixture of meat or seafood, pan-fried until golden
- Crispy Scallion Pancakes – Chinese green onion pancakes with a flaky and tender bite perfect for breakfast!
Stuffed Tofu – Hakka Inspired
Ingredients
- 2 egg tofu can sub with firm tofu
- 10 large shrimp peeled & de-veined
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch of white pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon corn starch
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ green onion thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon ginger (optional) minced
sauce
- ½ cup water
- ½ tablespoon oyster sauce
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon optional – sub with salt
Instructions
- Chop and mince shrimp until it becomes a paste.
- In a large bowl, add shrimp paste, salt, pinch of white pepper, sugar, corn starch, olive oil, minced ginger (optional) and sliced green onions. Mix until well combined and set aside.
- Slice egg tofu 2 inches thick. Gently place on a steaming plate. Using a small spoon, scoop little bit out of the center. You can eat the leftover tofu or use it in soup 🙂
- Sprinkle little bit of corn starch on the tofu. This helps the filling stick to the tofu. Place 1 teaspoon of shrimp filling to the center of the tofu and gently press it down (helps the filling stick more!).
- Steam the tofu on high heat for 7-8 minutes. Pour out excess water after steaming. Be careful the plate is really hot!
Make Sauce
- To make the sauce, stir water, oyster sauce, soy sauce, corn starch, and chicken bouillon (optional) in a bowl. Make sure the corn starch is not settled at the bottom. Then pour in the sauce pan. Heat on medium heat and constantly whisk until the sauce thickens (3-4 minutes).
- Pour the sauce on top of the stuffed tofu and enjoy while warm.
Notes
- Add minced fish or minced pork to your shrimp paste for extra flavor. It will make your filling more bouncy and tender.
- Dust a tiny bit of corn starch on the tofu before adding the filling. This ensures that the filling sticks to the tofu and doesn’t come out when your eating it!
- The sauce is supposed to be silky and smooth. To ensure it doesn’t clump, make sure you constantly whisk the sauce in the pan while cooking.
Julianne says
Your recipes are always easy to follow and I appreciate you sharing your family recipes. I love tofu and enjoy finding different ways to cook it. This recipe definitely hits the mark for letting make something fun out of ingredients I commonly use. My fiancé looked it so much that he almost ate it all by himself. I adjusted the sauce a bit with our own family flair by adding fish sauce and mirin.
Leona says
There was too much salt with the prawn mix and I put in less than 1 teaspoon…
Cook With Dana says
Thanks Leona for the feedback! I added more salt because the tofu doesn’t have much flavoring. I think I definitely like things on the saltier side haha
Qui Binh says
I love it! And my mom loved it too! I had to make do with some missing ingredients. Just a few but it was still delicious. I did my little happy dance when I ate it! My family is Chinese-Vietnamese, but a big part of my Chinese heritage is lost. I am pretty sure we are not Haka Chinese but still, thank you for sharing. It made me feel warmed.
Cook With Dana says
Hi Qui Binh, thank you so much for your lovely comment. It truly warms my heart that you had a delicious meal with your mom. I will share more hakka recipes ◡̈