Tofu with Black Bean Sauce or “see tzup dou fu” (豉汁豆腐) in Cantonese dialect, is one of the go-to dishes I cook for my vegetarian and vegan guests—or for the occasional meatless Monday. I wholeheartedly believe that if all vegan dishes could taste as savory and delicious as this tofu with black bean sauce, I could probably go meatless. Shocking, yes, but it’s true!
Nostalgia for Fresh Tofu
The key to any delicious tofu dish is “good tofu.” But despite what Ina Garten says—“good dijon mustard,” “good sherry vinegar,” and “good chocolate”—what marks a really *good* tofu?
I’ve probably consumed hundreds of pounds of tofu products in my time (if not more), but sadly, I can count on *one hand* the number of times I’ve had truly exceptional-tasting tofu.
Those few unforgettable tofu experiences all had one thing in common: the tofu was freshly made and packed with the essence of soybean flavor! These days, while we’re all familiar with tofu and a wide assortment of tofu products are available in supermarkets, it can be hard to find truly delicious, fresh-tasting tofu in the USA.
My first memory was in Hubei when I was a child. I was with my mother in a tofu shop, and it was the first time I can remember watching the tofu-making process. The image of the vat of boiling soy milk, the curdling of the milk in pitchers, and the pressing of the tofu in the wooden moulds are as clear as day to me even now.
The sight of the tofu master’s fluid movements and the robust cooked soybean smell still fills my senses when I think about it.
These kinds of businesses are still alive and well in China today, where hard-working people crank out a variety of tofu products (tofu puffs, silken tofu, tofu skin–the list goes on) for their local communities.
I clearly remember one day my mother bought a chunk of hot tofu and some thick tofu sheets (also known as “thousand sheets,” 千张). She later stir-fried the tofu sheets with some fresh green chilies. Delicious. (Update: we’ve posted a recipe for this tofu sheet stir-fry!)
Another one of my few great tofu memories was in Hong Kong. My friend took me to a hole-in-the-wall shack for a quick lunch, and we had a hot and sour soup.
I couldn’t remember the taste of the soup, but I’ll never forget the taste of the tofu that was in it. Every time I return to Hong Kong to visit my friend, this topic inevitably comes up. Unfortunately for me, my friend simply can’t remember the location of that tiny restaurant! It’s a distant tofu dream…
So in case I didn’t make it clear already, I love fresh tofu, and quality tofu is very important to me. Fresh tofu just has that unmistakable, strong, and fresh soybean essence. It absolutely boggles my mind when I see tofu recipes that say to blanch the tofu to get rid of the “tofu smell” before cooking it.
Trust me, I will never ask you to do something so crazy! Everyone should have the chance to taste fresh tofu. And if you’re curious as to just how fresh is fresh-tasting, you’ll know it when you bite into it!
Tofu with Black Bean Sauce: Recipe Instructions
Cut the firm tofu into ¼-inch thick squares. Pat each piece of tofu dry with a paper towel, and set aside.
Place a clean wok or cast iron skillet over high heat until it just starts to smoke. This is an important step to prevent the tofu from sticking.
Turn the heat down to medium, and add 2 tablespoons of oil to coat your pan. Pan-fry the tofu on both sides until lightly golden brown. Turn off the heat, and transfer the tofu to a plate.
Over medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of oil to your wok, along with the garlic, dried fermented black beans, the white parts of the scallions, and the dried red chilies.
Depending on how hot your chilies are, as well as your own tolerance for spice, you may want to use more or fewer chilies––or none at all. I used 7 dried chilies, de-seeded.
Stir and cook everything for a minute, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add in the tofu, the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil, ground white pepper, sugar, and the green parts of the scallions.
Stir-fry gently so as to not break up the tofu. When the mixture is bubbling, stir your cornstarch mixture to ensure that the cornstarch is completely dissolved.
Then add it to the wok, stirring gently and quickly until the sauce has thickened and evenly coats the tofu.
Serve this tofu with black bean sauce immediately with rice on the side!
This tofu with black bean Sauce is an ideal vegetarian or vegan meal!
Tofu with Black Bean Sauce - 豉汁豆腐
Ingredients
- 1 pound firm tofu (450g)
- 3 tablespoons oil (divided)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons fermented black beans (rinsed)
- 2 scallions (cut into large pieces, whites and greens separated)
- 3 dried or fresh red chilies (deseeded and chopped, optional)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- ½ tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tablespoons water)
Instructions
- Cut the tofu into ¼-inch thick squares. Pat each piece of tofu dry with a paper towel, and set aside.
- Place a clean wok or cast iron skillet over high heat until it just starts to smoke. This is an important step to prevent the tofu from sticking. Turn the heat down to medium, and add 2 tablespoons of oil to coat your pan. Pan-fry the tofu on both sides until lightly golden brown. Turn off the heat, and transfer the tofu to a plate.
- Over medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of oil to your wok, along with the garlic, black beans, the white parts of the scallions, and the chopped chilies. Depending on how hot your chilies are, as well as your own tolerance for spice, you may want to use more or fewer chilies––or none at all. I used 7 dried chilies, de-seeded.
- Stir and cook everything for a minute, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add in the tofu, the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, sugar, and the green parts of the scallions.
- Stir-fry gently so as to not break up the tofu. When the mixture is bubbling, stir your cornstarch mixture to ensure that the cornstarch is completely dissolved.
- Then add it to the wok, stirring gently and quickly until the sauce has thickened and evenly coats the tofu. Serve immediately!
nutrition facts
great tofu texture with corn starch. black bean so good combo. i also add shanghai bok choy over rice
Good job, Joe.
The instructions for frying the tofu were a GAME CHANGER for me! I have avoided fried tofu dishes at home because I couldn’t figure out how to not have it stick. So happy to add this to my cooking repertoire!
Nice! So glad to hear that :-)
Love your descriptions and recipes. Keep up the good wok!
Will do :-)
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Took me back to my days as a student in London. So happy that I can make it at home. I “dry fried” the tofu in a pan first to reduce how much oil I was using and I doubled the sauce ingredients bc I like it a bit saucier. Thanks once again!
Thank you so much for trying our recipes :-)
A few comments on this recipe, after having made it last night for supper:
1) It is delicious, but, 1 pound of tofu is certainly skimpy for four people. I’m sure the recipe is written with the understanding that this dish is to be part of a larger meal, but..as a stand-alone, it was just satiating enough for two hungry adults.
2) I found the total sauce volume to be small for the quantity of tofu called for. The final result wasn’t as much saucy as it was just barely glazed. Next time, I’m going to double the sauce components to hopefully arrive at a saucier final product.
Hi Anders, thanks for your feedback. 1 pound of tofu serves four in a Chinese meal with 1 or 2 other dishes (such as a stir-fried vegetable and/or a meat dish), but we understand that if you serve it on its own it serves 2.
This is such an informative recipe, the tip on heating your skillet first and then adding oil and tofu was key in not having the tofu stick to the pan. Thank you! I enjoyed the recipe very much.
Glad to hear that, Agnes.
The flavor profile was kinda one notes. It was okay but I will marinate the tofu next time and add in baby corn!
This looks delicious. I’m making it for lunch today.
Did you like it?
I make this recipe on a regular basis. You do not need to be a vegetarian to love tofu prepared like this! We also love the Cantonese-Style Steamed Tofu… so easy and incredibly delicious!
Yayyyy! We love tofu too :-)
Hi Judy! I live in a small town & have to go an hour away to the nearest Asian grocery! I do have black bean garlic sauce on hand all the time, so if I were to use it, how much would you suggest? Or just to my preference of saucisses?
Hi Heather, you can add it to taste, but start with 1 tablespoon, as it can be quite salty (saltier than the whole fermented beans).
Hi Heather, start with 2 tablespoons, and go from there. This jarred sauce is pretty salty so be mindful.
delicious! I skipped a step and used black bean and garlic sauce – a winner!
So glad you enjoyed it, Donna.
Easy and full of flavor.
Truly so :-)