I love Yong Tow Foo, or 酿豆腐, a Hakka dish originated from China. Yong Tow Foo literally means “stuffed tofu” but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a tofu dish.
It’s one of the dishes that I always make at home. Back home in Penang, I would just buy the freshly made yong tow foo at the wet market and then cook them in either bean sauce or in soups.
Here in the United States, I buy the frozen fish paste, and then stuff the fish paste in a variety of vegetables: okras, red chilies, bitter gourds, eggplant, etc.
The end result is always a serving of colorful yong tow foo which is so delicious with steamed white rice.
I never tire of eating yong tow foo.
Previously on Rasa Malaysia, I have shared two recipes: claypot yong tow foo and bean sauce yong tow foo.
Today, I am sharing a new recipe, black bean sauce yong tow foo, which is popular and commonly found at Cantonese dim sum restaurants. Always on my to-eat list whenever I am having dim sum.
Fresh off the dim sum cart, these black bean sauce yong tow foo are always succulent, juicy, fresh, and the black bean sauce adds an earthy note to the dish.
You can always eat them as is, or if you are like me, I love dipping them into a little chili sauce…so yummy.
My recipe is a guideline, but you can be creative and stuff the fish paste into fresh mushrooms, wrapped with tofu skin (yuba), stuffed on green and red bell peppers, etc.
Either way, they are always delicious. Enjoy!
Black Bean Sauce Yong Tow Foo Recipe
I love Yong Tow Foo, or 酿豆腐, a Hakka dish originated from China. Yong Tow Food literally means “stuffed tofu” but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a tofu dish.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- Fish Paste, defrost
- 3 dashes sesame oil
- 3 dashes white pepper
- 5 okras, top stem cut off
- 5 red chilies
- 5 fu puffs
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fermented black beans (rinsed and coarsely chopped)
- 1 scallion, cut into rings
Sauce Mixture:
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt to taste
- 1 dash white pepper
- 1 dash sesame oil
Directions
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1Add the sesame oil and white pepper into the fish paste, stir to combine well.
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2Clean and rinse the okras and red chilies. Cut a slit in the middle of the okra to allow an opening to stuff fish paste inside. For the red chilies, cut a slit down the middle of the red chilies, deseeded. Cut the tofu puffs in the middle (but not completely broken). Combine and stir all the ingredients in the Sauce Mixture, set aside.
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3Using a butter knife, stuff the fish paste inside the okras, red chilies, and tofu puffs.
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4Heat up a skillet and add 1 tablespoon of oil. One heated, arrange all the yong tow food in one layer and lightly pan-fry the yong tow foo on both sides so the surface is slightly browned. Transfer the pan-fried yong tow foo onto a plate.
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5Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil into the skillet. Add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic, then follow by the fermented black beans. Stir until you smell the aroma of the black beans, then transfer the yong tow foo into the skillet. Add the Sauce Mixture and stir to combine well. As soon as the sauce thickens and the yong tow foo is nicely coated with the sauce, add the scallion, dish out and serve immediately.
Amy
Instead of using fish paste as a filling, what are the other options of meat fillings that can be used instead for this recipe?
Rasa Malaysia
You can use ground pork, ground pork and shrimp.
Connie
I love Yong Tow Foo as well but where to get fish paste in UK?
Angeline
Looks yummy ! Went out early this morning n got the required ingredients. Will be cooking it for dinner. Am sure it will taste as good as it looks.
Thanks for sharing recipe.:-)
Lindabromage
what is fish paste is there another name for it, as I have never heard of it, thank you.
Lina
Yes Bee, we would like to know what brand is the frozen fish paste and where we can buy it please.. Thank you!
Samira
Love it
thanks !!
Philip
Have cooked yong tau foo, soup version, countless times for family. Never thought of black bean version. Will definitely try it out. However, I’ve always been amused as to how to judge “salt according to taste” when the salting has to do with uncooked ingredients, in this case, fish paste. Do you have any particular yardstick to go by besides experience when it comes to raw meat that is not advisable to taste the saltiness of the same? Thank you.
Rasa Malaysia
The salt is added towards the end of the cooking process, not into the fish paste so you can taste it.
Nana Frannie
What are tofu puffs? How do I make it?
Sharmila
Yum! Always looking for things to make with black bean sauce because I love it so much. This looks great.
Shema | LifeScoops
Bee, love your recipes…keep them coming. This tofu dish looks divine.
Fern @ To Food with Love
I came here as soon as I saw the title of this post! It’s one of my favourite foods, and especially love the gooey black bean sauce. Never thought of how to make it though. Hope to try this soon. Was wondering, when you pan-fry the yong tau foo, will it fully cook e.g. the okra?
Rasa Malaysia
Not 100% but they will be when cooked again with the black bean sauce.