Winse Chan is a rising chef from Scotland and soon to be author of a cookbook about classic and authentic Chinese recipes, passed down from generations and inherited from the women who have influenced her cooking. She is currently working with Nee Hao Magazine to bring you a series of exclusive mouth watering recipes for you to try cooking at home.

Tofu is a versatile product to cook with, simple and plain on its own, gorgeously flavourful when combined with sauces whilst being very nutritious. If you enjoy tofu and wondered how you could make it interesting then I recommend you give this clay pot a try. 

Note:- Handle with care when working with tofu as they tend to break and crumble very easily. Work gently when cutting into cubes. Use a large spoon when stirring the ingredients during the cooking process. What you want is intact cubes of tofu and not ones that turn into tofu mince.

With this clay pot I always stir fry the garlic and ginger paste until it becomes fragrant before adding the tofu and mushrooms soaked in its marinade. The best thing about this pot dish is that the marinating ingredients coat all the earthy mushrooms and tofu, providing an intensely infused dish. The end product is a silky sauce, filled with aromatic flavours.

Serves: 4-5

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 13 minutes 15 seconds

Ingredients

500 grams firm tofu

200 grams oyster mushrooms

150 grams canned straw cap mushrooms

100 grams brown button mushrooms

6 Dried Chinese mushrooms

5 grams ginger

3 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Marinating ingredients

120 ml vegetable stock

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper powder

Thickening ingredients

1 tablespoon cold water

1 teaspoon corn flour

Method

Soak Chinese mushrooms in hot boiling water for 15 minutes, drain, remove stalks and slice the mushrooms into thick slices. Wash and cut brown mushrooms in halves. Wash, drain, and gently squeeze excess water. Drain canned straw cap mushrooms. Place all the mushrooms into a large bowl.

In a bowl, mix in all the marinating ingredients. Marinade the mushrooms for 5-6 minutes. Cut tofu into 1 inch pieces, add into the marinade.

Using a mortar and pesto, pound garlic and ginger into a paste. Heat a large clay pot on medium heat. Add oil, once hot, add garlic and ginger paste. Stir fry for 15 seconds.

Add mushrooms and its marinade. Cover with lid and reduce the heat to a medium/low setting. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Mix corn flour with cold water, add into pot. Keep the lid off. Turn the heat to a high setting, gently stir and cook for 3 minutes. Serve.

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Winses Wee Wok