Fish Tofu with Snow Peas (荷蘭豆魚豆腐, Ho4 Laan4 Dau6 Jyu4 Dau6 Fu6)

This recipe was updated 18 Sep 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

When I first saw fish tofu at the Asian grocery store, I wondered what is this ingredient and how is it used? I’ve never used it before and had no idea what it tasted like. So like all impulse buys, I bought the fish tofu first and figured out what to do with it second. It turns out that fish tofu is just what the name implies; fish paste and tofu mixed together, formed into cakes, and then fried. When you eat the fish tofu, it has the texture of tofu and tastes like fish cakes.

The fish tofu is usually frozen, but my local Asian grocery store has them available in the refrigerated seafood section ready to use. The Taiwan Food Products (Canada) site has a Fried Fish Tofu recipe that I used as the basis for this making this dish. You can use any vegetable in this dish, I happen to have snow peas.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb.	500 g.	Fried fish tofu (魚豆腐, jyu4 dau6 fu6)
½ lb.	250 g.	Ground pork (豬肉, zyu1 juk6)
1 lb.	500 g.	Snow peas (荷蘭豆, ho4 laan4 dau6,)
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
1 in.	2.5 cm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
4 cloves	4 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Lian How brand hot bean paste (辣豆辦醬, laat6 dau6 faan6 zoeng3) or equivalent
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Chinkiang vinegar (镇江香醋, zan3 gong1 hoeng1 cou3) or black vinegar (黑米醋, hak1 mai5 cou3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
½ Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
1 Tbs.	30 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Lian How Brand Hot Bean Paste
(辣豆辦醬, laat6 dau6 faan6 zoeng3)

Preparation Instructions

1. If using frozen fish tofu, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Take the fish tofu and ground pork out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Wash and cut the green onion into ½-inch (15 mm)  pieces. Separate the cut pieces of green onion – white pieces for the ground pork and green pieces for the fried fish tofu.
4. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
5. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Lian How brand hot bean sauce or equivalent, Chinkiang or black vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding the oil. Add the garlic and ginger to the wok and stir fry until fragrant. Add the ground pork and white parts of the green onion, and stir fry with garlic and ginger until browned. Add the snow peas to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. Add the fried fish tofu and the green part of the green onions to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together.
2. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. If more sauce is desired, add some liquid (stock or water) to the wok. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.