Three Cup (San Bei) Tofu - 三杯豆腐
A meatless version of our family's favorite Taiwanese dish that is made from tofu and packed with the aromatic Thai Basil and sautéed ginger.
Servings: 3
Ingredients
- 14 oz [397g]firm tofu drained
- 8-10 slices [35g] ginger
- 5 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 red jalapenõ chopped (or any chili)
- 1 cup packed fresh Thai basil sub with basil or adjust to your preference
- corn starch for coating
- a handful of chopped scallion/green onion
- oil for cooking
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine Michiu or use rice wine/dry sherry/vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce or tamari
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- ⅓ cup [80g] water
Instructions
- Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl until well combined and set aside.
- To prepare the tofu, pat the tofu dry with paper towels and cut into cubes or rectangle slices, about 1cmm thick.
- Place ¼ cup corn starch in a shallow plate or baking sheet pan. Then, coat the slices generously with corn starch, making sure all sides have a thin layer of starch.
- Preheat the air-fryer using the fries settings (390F).
- Brush the top side of the tofu with a thin layer of oil. Then, grease the inner air-fryer rack.
- Using a tong or a pair of chopsticks, transfer tofu slices onto the greased rack in a single layer.
- Air-fry tofu slices until golden brown, about 4-8 minutes. Check periodically and flip if needed. To pan-fry the tofu, please check the section 'Crispy Tofu - 2 ways' or notes below.
- Transfer the air-fried tofu to a cookie rack to cool while you work on the next batch.
- To cook the tofu, heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil. Then, sauté ginger slices until the sides turn crispy and aromatic.
- Add the garlic and chopped chile and continue to cook until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the sauce and cook until the sugar has melted.
- Add the tofu slices then toss everything to combine. If you prefer not to serve it in a clay pot, then add the Thai basil along with the tofu and continue to cook until the sauce has reduced.
- To cook the tofu in claypot: Heat a claypot and add a drizzle of oil. Then, sauté green onions and half of the Thai basil until aromatic.
- Transfer the tofu into the clay pot then top with the remaining Thai basil, cover and cook it over low heat for another 1- 2 minutes. This step will create a charred bottom which give the tofu a more flavorful taste.
- Turn off the heat and serve warm with rice.
Video
Notes
I've shared a version of the pan-fried version on May,2020. Today's post is updated with an air-fried version. Thank you!
- How to Pan-fry tofu
- Prepare tofu similar to Step 2 and 3
- Heat a large skillet with a thin layer of oil
- Shallow pan-fry the tofu until golden brown. Remove & set aside.
- Continue to Step 9