Sharing these blocks of tofu stuffed with a mix of mushrooms and minced ‘meat’ in a thick gravy-like sauce!
STUFFED TOFU
I grew up eating stuffed tofu, which we often had during family gatherings and celebrations.
It’s a family favourite and the stuffed tofu we’d always have growing up is actually stuffed with shrimp.
Though of course I made this Vegan Hakka-Style Stuffed Tofu and instead of the usual meat, I used a mix of mushrooms and minced ‘meat’, that I made from the tofu I scooped out.
HOW TO MAKE THE STUFFED TOFU
Slice into each block of tofu. Afterwards, carefully carve out the centre:
Repeat for the rest of the blocks. It’ll be the carved out centres that will be used for the filling!
COOK DOWN THE FILLING
Cook down the carved out tofu with a mix of veggies and mushrooms.
Seasoned with some soy sauce, to taste. This whole mixture will come together and become firmer with the help of some cornstarch slurry.
STUFF THE FILLING BACK INTO THE CARVED OUT TOFU
Stuff it back into the pieces of tofu!
FRY THE TOFU UNTIL CRISP
Pan-fry the tofu in some neutral oil.
Flip around to evenly crisp all sides ◡̈
MAKE THE STUFFED TOFU SAUCE.GRAVY
Afterwards, empty the same pan to make the gravy-like sauce to cover the tofu in.
Serve and enjoy!
My mom would also always make sure the sauce is really hot before mixing the tofu in and serving the dish so I highly recommend you to do the same!
The tofu absorbs the sauce really well, and I’d love to get extra sauce to pour over the rice and tofu once I slice it up.
The sauce would also sometimes come with some sliced mushrooms and bokchoy, but I decided to make mine plain for this recipe.
I really enjoy mine with some chili garlic sauce for that extra heat and steamed rice! You can find my homemade chili garlic sauce recipe here.
You’ll find the full recipe for this below!
You can also check out my other vegan tofu recipes here or down below:
Check out my tips on how to store tofu!
- Black Pepper Tofu Steaks
- Tofu “Chicken” Teriyaki
- Korean Spicy Braised Tofu
- Fried ‘Chicken’ and Gravy
- Tofu Katsu
- Nori-Wrapped Tofu in Spicy Sauce
- Maple Hoisin Tofu
- Orange Tofu
- Pan-Fried Tofu Cakes
- Tofu ‘McNuggets’
If you make this recipe, please tag me on my Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #thefoodietakesflight 🙂
Looking for more Vegan Asian recipes?
You can get a copy of my cookbook, Vegan Asian!
If you crave vegan-friendly versions of classic Asian dishes, this cookbook is packed with Southeast and East Asian dishes inspired by those I grew up enjoying at home and those I’ve tried from my travels. From iconic Thai dishes to piping-hot Japanese fare and everything in between, the recipes in this will take your palate on a delicious food trip across Asia, and hopefully keep you coming back for more!
Vegan Hakka-Style Stuffed Tofu
Ingredients
For the Tofu
- 1.75 lb extra firm tofu
- Neutral oil for frying
Filling
- 0.5 lb extra firm tofu (scooped out from the tofu)
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 small onion diced
- 1/4 cup finely diced mushrooms from 5 pieces of
dried shiitake, or other mushrooms - 1/2 large carrot finely diced
- 1 to 2 tbsp soy sauce or to taste
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce option, to taste
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce optional for colour
Cornstarch for Filling
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp room temp water (see notes)
Gravy/Thick Sauce
Cornstarch Slurry for Sauce/Gravy
- 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 4 tbsp room temp. water
For serving
- Chili garlic sauce (see homemade recipe here)
- Chopped scallions
Instructions
Preparing the mushrooms and tofu
- Soak dried mushrooms in boiling hot water for at least 15 minutes. Best left to rehydrate overnight.
- Press tofu for at least 10 minutes to drain excess liquid. Slice each block of tofu into 4 two-inch cubes.
- Carefully mark the tofu using a butter knife. Cut the sides, leaving at least a 1/2-inch border, and then remove the core of the tofu.
- You can do this by careful scooping it out using the teaspoon. Repeat for the rest of the tofu. Place the removed tofu cores in a bowl. Do not discard. Mash the tofu.
Preparing the filling
- Heat a pan with some oil. Once hot, add in the garlic and onion. Saute until tender. Add in the mushrooms and carrots. Leave to cook for 3-4 minutes. Add in the mashed tofu (tofu removed from the core).
- Season with some soy sauce and pepper. Mix well. Leave to cook for 6-7 minutes over medium high heat, mixing every minute or so, until the tofu resembles minced meat.
- Feel free to adjust seasoning depending on desired taste. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and mix well until the tofu filling starts to thicken and clump together. This will make the mixture firmer and will hold together better once stuffed in the tofu.
Stuffing the Tofu
- Scoop around 2-3 teaspoons of the filling into the tofu. Carefully press down with your finger, while also supporting the sides of the tofu. Ensure that the filling is packed tight. Repeat for the rest of the tofu.
Cooking the Tofu
- Heat a pan with enough oil to submerge at least 1/3 of the tofu. Once hot, place the tofu filling down first. Leave to cook for 3-4 minutes over high heat, until golden brown.Flip the tofu and cook the remaining sides until golden brown.Once cooked on each side, set aside in a bowl.
- Note: You can opt to deep fry the tofu to speed up the process.
Preparing the Sauce
- Remove oil from the frying pan. Over medium low heat, add in the the water, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up heat to medium and leave to a boil. While waiting for the sauce to boil, mix together the cornstarch and water until you have a slurry.
- Leave the sauce to simmer over medium heat. While stirring, pour in the cornstarch slurry. Keep stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened. Lower the heat to medium. Season with salt, to taste. Feel free to adjust the seasoning based on your desired taste. Turn off the heat.
To Serve
- Pour sauce over the tofu. Garnish with some chopped green onions and add some chili garlic sauce, if desired. Enjoy while hot with some rice or noodles!
WATCH Video
Notes
CORNSTARCH OR CORNSTARCH SLURRY
- If the tofu is already moist from the excess water, you can skip the water to make a slurry. So instead of making a slurry, you can add 1 tbsp cornstarch.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
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This Post Has 14 Comments
Hello. This looks yummy. How do you suggest we convert this to a baked recipe? (My doctor says no fried food for me.)
Hi Elizabeth! You can cook the filling as-is on a non-stick pan then stuff it in the tofu. From there, you can place the stuffed tofu in an air-fryer basket or on a lined baking tray then either air-fry or bake for 15 minutes (air fry) or bake (25-30 minutes) or until golden brown. The temp can be 350F. You can also spray some oil around the tofu just so these won’t end up very dry. Hope this helps! ◡̈
Your recipe says to crumble the tofu then slice the tofu. Is that reversed and should mean to crumble the tofu remains after slicing?
Hi Pam, thanks for pointing that out. Apologies for the mix-up. After pressing, simply slice the tofu into the blocks before removing the cores and then mashing/crumbling the tofu you removed from the core. I’ve also edited the recipe card. Hope this clears it up! ◡̈
Very interesting idea. I have a hard time cutting tofu without it crumbling apart. Any suggestions on ensuring it stays in cubes?
Hi Meadow, this’ll depend on the firmness of your tofu. If it’s not very firm, it’ll crumbled more easily. I reco to get extra firm or even the smoked tofu if that’ll help you cut it easier ◡̈
how many blocks of tofu are needed for this recipe?
Hi! It depends on the size of your tofu – but around 2 blocks (1 lb each). ◡̈
Instructions say to add onions with the garlic at the beginning. How much onion?! It’s not in the ingredient list.
Hi Jenny! Apologize I missed it on the list. I used 1 small onion and diced it. Then sautéed with the onion and garlic ◡̈
Great recipe! I am a meat eater and have made both meat and vegan versions, and I prefer this one!
Hey El! So happy to hear. Thanks for giving this a try 🙂
this dish made our new years dinner special! Thanks for sharing!
Happy new year, Dan! Glad it did! 🙂 thanks so much!