Steamed tofu with ginger and spring onion, Cantonese style
Written by Estelle & Alice for The Wok House
I make this tofu on evenings when I want something hot without any stir-frying. It steams for ten minutes in the wok while the sauce comes together on the side, and it reaches the table still wobbling under its barely wilted spring onions.
The recipe borrows the seasoning of Cantonese steamed fish (ginger, spring onion, coriander and lightly sweetened soy sauce) and puts it on a cheaper protein that's easy to find. Two details make it work: silken tofu, not firm, and the water it releases as it cooks, which you pour off before adding the sauce so the sauce isn't watered down.
Steamed tofu with ginger and spring onion, Cantonese style
Silken tofu steamed in the wok, topped with ginger and spring onion sizzled in oil, then finished with lightly sweetened soy sauce.
For 3 or 4 people, use a 22 to 24cm dish and a 32cm wok, or the steamer tray of a 28cm wok and steamer set. Leave 2cm of space all round so the steam can get through.
Ingredients
For the tofu
For the aromatics
For the sauce
To serve
Equipment
- 28 to 32cm wok with a lid
- Steaming rack or trivet (or a bamboo steamer)
- Shallow heatproof dish, 22 to 24cm
- Small saucepan
- Oven gloves or a plate gripper
Method
Start the rice
Rinse 300g jasmine rice in several changes of water until the water runs almost clear, then put it on to cook. It needs about 20 minutes, resting included, so it will be ready at the same time as the tofu.
Slice the tofu
Drain the water from the tofu and turn each block out onto a board in one movement. Cut it in half lengthways, then into 1cm slices. Slide the knife blade under each half to carry it to a shallow dish (two dishes for more than 4 people) deep enough to hold the sauce, then push the slices so they overlap in a fan: the more surface the tofu has exposed, the more sauce it takes up. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Prepare the aromatics and the sauce
Peel the ginger and cut it into fine julienne, thin sticks no thicker than a matchstick. Cut the spring onions into 7 to 8cm lengths, then into thin shreds lengthways, keeping the whites and the greens separate. Roughly chop the coriander. In a bowl, stir together 2 tbsp soy sauce, ¼ tsp sugar and 2 tbsp water until the sugar has dissolved.
Set up the steamer
Put a rack or trivet in the bottom of the wok and pour in cold water up to 2cm below the top of the rack, about 1 litre in a 32cm wok. Set the dish on top, leaving at least 2cm of space between it and the side of the wok so the steam can circulate, and cover. For more than 4 people, put the two dishes in the tiers of a bamboo steamer set in the wok.
Steam
Put the wok over a medium-high heat and don't lift the lid. The water comes to the boil in about 7 minutes. As soon as steam escapes steadily from under the lid, give it 3 minutes and start the sauce. The tofu is ready when a knife slipped into the centre comes out hot.
Fry the aromatics
During those 3 minutes, heat 2 tbsp oil in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the ginger and stir for 1 minute: it smells fragrant and only just turns golden at the edges. Add the spring onion whites for 30 seconds, then the greens and the coriander. Everything should sizzle.
Add the sauce
Pour the bowl of sauce into the pan. Bring it to a simmer and leave it for 30 seconds, just long enough for the herbs to wilt, then take it off the heat.
Pour off the water
Turn off the heat under the wok. Lift out each dish with oven gloves or a plate gripper, then tilt it over the sink to pour away the water the tofu has released, holding the slices back with a spatula. Only the tofu should be left in the dish.
Pour over the sauce and serve
Season the tofu with ¼ tsp white pepper, then spoon the hot sauce and its aromatics over the top. Serve straight away with the rice: silken tofu cools down quickly.
Wok tips
- If you have no rack, wedge three wooden chopsticks in a star shape in the wok, at the height where they lock against the sides, and set the dish on them. A bamboo steamer set in the wok works too, as long as the water stays below its base.
- The lid matters as much as the heat. If it doesn't close well, the steam escapes and the tofu stays lukewarm in the middle. A domed lid sends condensation down the sides instead of letting it drip onto the tofu; if your wok doesn't have one, see our woks with lids.
- On induction, the water boils in 3 or 4 minutes instead of 7, so the tofu has warmed up less by the time the steam comes through: allow 5 minutes of steaming instead of 3. Use a flat-bottomed wok, which stays in contact with the hob.
- In a carbon steel or iron wok, steam can wear away the patina. After cooking, pour out the water, put the wok back on the heat until it's dry and wipe on a thin layer of oil with kitchen paper. If the base has turned grey, a quick re-seasoning brings it back.
Variations
- Sizzling oil, as for steamed fish: scatter the raw ginger, spring onions and coriander over the drained tofu, pour on the sauce from the bowl, then heat the oil on its own until it just starts to smoke and pour it over the aromatics in one go. They crackle and cook only on the surface.
- Seasoned soy sauce for seafood: this milder soy sauce, already sweetened, is sold in Chinese and Asian supermarkets. It replaces the light soy sauce and the sugar, at 3 tablespoons per 500g tofu; keep the water.
- Hotter: add a sliced fresh red chilli with the spring onion greens, and a few drops of toasted sesame oil on the tofu just before serving.
- With fish, as in the original: the same seasoning works on 500g cod or sea bass fillets, 2cm thick. Put the dish of fish in the wok once the water is boiling and steam for 7 to 8 minutes.
Storage
This tofu is best eaten straight from the wok: silken tofu doesn't reheat well and the herbs lose their colour. If there's any left, keep it for a day in the fridge in an airtight container and reheat it by steaming it in the wok for 4 minutes rather than in the microwave, which heats it unevenly.
Wok and steamer set
Stainless steel, Ø 28cm, free lid
Frequently asked questions
Which tofu is best for steaming?
Silken tofu, also called soft tofu, as smooth as a set custard. It comes in long-life cartons or in chilled packs, from health food shops, Asian supermarkets and some larger supermarkets. Firm tofu works too, but it stays dense and takes up less of the sauce.
How do you get silken tofu out of the pack without breaking it?
With a chilled pack, peel off the film, pour out the water and snip off one corner to let air in: the block slides out in one piece when you turn it over onto the board. With a carton, cut off the whole top with scissors and slide the block out. After that, always move it on the knife blade, never with your fingers.
Why is there water in the dish after steaming?
Silken tofu releases water as it heats, and some condensation drips into the dish. Pour it off before adding the sauce, otherwise it dilutes the soy sauce and the dish tastes bland.
Where does Cantonese steamed tofu come from?
From Cantonese cooking, in southern China, where fish is steamed with this same seasoning: ginger, spring onion, light soy sauce and hot oil. Tofu takes the place of the fish, and the dish then contains no animal products, so it's suitable for vegans too.
