Easy Steamed Tofu (蒸豆腐)

Ingredients

• 1 block (1 lb / 450 g) soft tofu (, drained and sliced into 1/2” (1 cm) thick pieces)
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce ((or oyster sauce))
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cloves garlic (, minced)
• 2 green onions (, thinly sliced)
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil ((or vegetable oil))
• 2 dried chili peppers
• 1/4 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn ((or black pepper))

Steps

1. 1

   Prepare the steamer by adding 2” (5 cm) water to the pot and heat over medium-high heat until brought to a boil.

2. 2

   Arrange the tofu on a plate that can fit into your steamer with as little overlap as possible. Place the plate onto the steaming rack.

3. 3

   When the water is boiling, add the steaming rack. Steam covered for 6 minutes. Once done, carefully remove the plate from the steamer (*Footnote 1). Let the plate cool off for a few minutes. Then tilt the plate to drain off as much water as you can.

4. 4

   While cooking the tofu, mix the light soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, sugar and salt together in a small bowl.

5. 5

   When the tofu is ready, heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the chili peppers, garlic, ginger, a small amount of the green onion (*Footnote 2), and Sichuan peppercorns. Stir a few times until the chili peppers turn dark red. Immediately pour the oil with everything evenly over the tofu. Then pour the mixed sauce over the tofu.

6. 6

   Serve warm or at room temperature as an appetizer, or over steamed rice as a main dish.