Hotplate Tofu(铁板豆腐)

Hotplate Tofu is another sze char dish that you can easily cook at home.The ingredients are versatile and you can add or substitute any ingredients that you prefer.I remember when I was young, hot plate tofu was always the "must order" dish at sze char stalls. That sizzling rich gravy on top of omelette, eggs tofu and all the assortment of ingredients goes very well with plain rice. The first time I cooked this dish, I did'nt have a hot plate and the outcome wasn't satisfactory....no sizzling, no hotplate flavour and the omelette just wasn't up to standard.

So if you guys are going to cook this, I strongly recommend you to buy a hot plate to achieve the maximum results. 

Another thing to take note is when deep frying the egg tofu, you need to pat dry the eggs tofu before dipping into hot oil.This is to ensure that the eggs tofu will turned out well brown and crispy.If the oil is not hot enough, the eggs tofu will not be evenly browned and the visual effects of the entire dish will be ruined.

This is how I use kitchen towel to dry the tofu on both sides.

The good and bad tofu depending on the temperature of the oil.

Recipe (Prep 10 mins, Cooking time 10 mins)
( Serves 4 )

Ingredients:
2 tube eggs tofu(cut into 10 portions/cube)
2 eggs (beaten)
85g minced pork
25g green capsicum(sliced)
25g onions(sliced)
1 clove or 5g of garlic(minced)

Marinade(minced pork):
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
Dash of white pepper.

Seasonings(A):
200ml water
1tsp dark soy sauce
1tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp shaoxing wine
A pinch of salt

Steps:


1) Marinade pork for at least half an hour(marinating can be done before the night or in the morning before you leave for work)

2) Heat 1/2 tbsp of oil in a heated pan and sauté  onions and green capsicum for about 30 seconds(a fast fry method to preserve the colour and texture of the vegetables).Then set aside.

3) Using the same pan, add in minced garlic and sauté till fragrant.

4) Add in minced pork and stir fry until 75% cooked.

5) Add in water and all the seasonings(except the shaoxing wine)

6) When the sauce mixture boils again, add in shaoxing wine, onions and green capsicum.

7) Add in a pinch of salt and then corn starch to thicken up the sauce.Turn off heat and set aside the whole pan of gravy.

8) Heat up hot plate with a drizzle of oil to cook the plate.

9) When the hot plate starts to smoke, add in 2 beaten eggs and swirl the hot plate around for the eggs to cover the entire plate. Turn off the heat and layer eggs tofu on the omelette.

10) Lastly, pour the gravy over the eggs tofu and omelette. Expect alot sizzling!