Silken tofu breaks if it is moved, so the whole dish is built in one pan and never stirred. The egg sets around the cubes and holds them together, and the starch in the sauce gives it enough body to spoon over rice. From a cold pan to the table takes about a quarter of an hour, which is the reason it gets made on a Tuesday.
Chinese · Main
Silken Tofu Cooked Under a Blanket of Set Egg
A block of silken tofu browned briefly, then covered with beaten egg and left to set under a lid. A soy and oyster sauce thickens around it in two minutes.
- Prep5 min
- Cook10 min
- Serves2
- LevelEasy
Ingredients
| 1 block | silken tofu , about 300 g, cut into large cubes |
| 2 | eggs , beaten with a pinch of salt |
| 2 tbsp | light soy sauce |
| 1 tbsp | oyster sauce |
| 1 tbsp | caster sugar |
| 10 g | cornflour |
| 1/2 bowl | water , about 120 ml |
| 7 g | scallion , sliced |
Method
- Set the tofu cubes in a lightly oiled pan over low heat and let them brown on the underside for about 3 minutes, without moving them.
- Pour the beaten egg over the tofu, cover and cook over low heat until the egg is just set and the edges turn pale gold.
- While it cooks, stir the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, cornflour and water together until the starch dissolves completely.
- Pour the sauce around the edges of the pan, cover again and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until it thickens and coats the tofu.
- Scatter the scallion over the top and take the pan to the table.
Notes
- Add the sauce at the edge of the pan, not over the middle, so the egg layer stays intact.
- Use silken or soft tofu. Firm tofu stays in cubes but does not take on the sauce the same way.
- Keep the heat low throughout. A hard boil makes the egg spongy and tears the tofu as the sauce reduces.
Ratios and technique checked against 大头囡囡 on Douguo (嫩豆腐抱蛋（懒人版）). The method here is written by Stellaok and the illustration is ours; no text or photograph from the source is reproduced.