Recipe: Japanese egg tofu with minced chicken, prawns and mushrooms

When I was growing up, my parents would occasionally bring us out for a Chinese meal and we would get to order one dish each to share. My brother would always choose stir fried beef with spring onions (his fav), mum would order a vegetable dish, dad would order a random dish, and I would always order a Japanese tofu dish.

Japanese egg tofu with minced chicken, prawn and mushrooms

Japanese tofu 日本豆腐 (tamagodōfu), also known as egg tofu is a type of savory flavored tofu made from soy milk and eggs. According to Wikipedia, whole beaten eggs are filtered and incorporated into soy milk before the coagulant is added. The mixture is poured into plastic tubes and allowed to curdle. The tofu is then cooked in its packaging and sold. Egg tofu has a pale golden color that can be attributed to the addition of egg and occasionally, food coloring.

In restaurants, the egg tofu is normally deep fried before being served in a number of ways, my favorites being claypot-style or with minced pork. Back at home, I would usually blanch it in hot water and then cook a sauce and pour it over the tofu. This is just as tasty and much healthier.

Light, healthy and delicious

For my version, I used minced chicken (you can use minced pork too), diced prawns, and mushrooms. The idea is to pair the smooth tofu with textural ingredients. I added some ginger wine to give the sauce a better flavour. I love how pretty and colorful this tofu dish looks, and would happily gobble this up any day.

Japanese tofu, but cooking style is Chinese

Japanese egg tofu with minced chicken, prawns and mushrooms
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 6-8 minutes
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
2 x 150g tube egg tofu
80g chicken breast, minced (or minced pork)
5 king prawns, peeled, deveined and chopped into small pieces
1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ginger wine
2 shitake mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped into small pieces
100-150ml water
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 spring onion, finely chopped

1. Marinate the chicken and prawn with 1/2 tsp ginger wine each.

2. Fill a pot 1/3 full with water, and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce to low heat (barely simmering) and place the tofu inside. Leave it for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat gently and cut into 2cm thickness.

3. Meanwhile, in a wok, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, then fry for 1 1/2 minute until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and minced chicken, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

4. Add the water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the prawn, remaining 1/2 tsp ginger wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil and salt and cook for another 30-40 seconds. Taste and season with more salt, if required.

5. To serve, place tofu on a plate, and then scoop the hot chicken-prawn-mushroom mixture on top. Garnish with spring onion and serve immediately.

*I am submitting this to the Little Thumbs Up "Soy Beans" event organized by Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY and hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake. You can link your soy recipes here.


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*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's Facebook page on 11 October 2013.