Hello Everyone! Apologies for being MIA for the past few weeks; I’ve been having some issues with accessing the photos for my recipes, along with other things that have kept me busy in the past weeks. Anyway, a new month usually means we’ll be travelling to another country on our Flavours of Southeast Asia journey, but since I was away for half of May, I already had Indonesian dishes cooked up and planned for then. I’ll continue to share them first before we fly off to another country.
Tonight’s recipe isn’t particularly Indonesian; in fact it is of Chinese origin, commonly consumed in Hong Kong and Taiwanese cuisine. Egg tofu is made from eggs and soy milk, which means it is much sturdier than silken tofu. The main difference between the two is that egg tofu is not vegan because it has eggs whereas silken tofu is typically vegan since it’s made by coagulating soy milk without curdling it. Egg tofu is vegetarian if you consume eggs as part of your vegetarian diet. You can usually find egg tofu in a tube-like shape sold in many Asian groceries, but since I could not find any at my local grocer/supermarket, I decided to do some research and found out that it’s actually super simple to make at home! All you need are eggs, soy milk, salt, and voilà!
But wait! Before I dive any further, why am I sharing a recipe for Chinese-style egg tofu when we’re supposed to be venturing in Indonesia? Well, I will be sharing a recipe that uses egg tofu in an Indonesian dish; I just decided that I want to share this recipe for egg tofu separately. It’s so versatile; you can pan/deep fry it, boil it, and braise it. Use this recipe as a base for other delicious recipes, like what I’ll be sharing tomorrow night.
Normally I would opt to make my own homemade soy milk, but because I could not source soy beans at my local grocer or supermarkets, I used store-bought soy milk instead. Now, it’s important to use unsweetened soy milk. The first time I tried this recipe out, I used slightly sweetened soy milk because that’s what I had sitting in my pantry at that moment. The result is very different, especially if you’re going to fry the egg tofu.
The result I got when I used sweetened soy milk was that the exterior of the egg tofu turned dark brown in patches, almost like it caramalised instead of fried. It wasn’t crispy at all. When I made a second batch using unsweetened soy milk, the exterior of the egg tofu was perfectly golden brown in colour when fried, and was also extra crispy. So please use unsweetened soy milk!
PREP TIME 10 MINS | COOKING TIME 30 MINS | SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
- 7 large free-range eggs
- 2 cups unsweetened soy milk, homemade or store-bought
- 1/2 tsp salt
METHOD
- Whisk the eggs and salt together in a large mixing bowl until well combined. While continuing to whisk, slowly pour the soy milk into the eggs.
- Line a square baking dish (8-in x 8-in) with parchment paper, and sieve the egg mixture into the prepared pan. Get rid of any bubbles on the surface. Cover with aluminium foil and steam for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the egg tofu comes out clean.
- Once done, remove from the steamer and transfer the egg tofu to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up all the excess moisture. This step is really important if you’re going to pan/deep fry these later to prevent oil splatters.
- Set aside to cool down completely before cutting into desired shapes and sizes. Enjoy as it is, fried, or include it in various dishes.
Stay tuned to see what I’ve used this egg tofu for!
How to store egg tofu?
- Store raw egg tofu in a container with water and use it within 2 days. Make sure to drain the water and pat dry before cooking with them, especially if you’re going to fry them.
- Cooked egg tofu can last up to 3 days if refrigerated, however, it’s best to eat it freshly pan fried.
BON APPÉTIT
– Ally xx
AMCARMEN'S KITCHEN 