This Sichuan boiled tofu, or shuǐ zhǔ dòufu gān (水煮豆腐干) is an adapted version of Sichuan boiled beef—a delicious recipe from my mom. This new version is vegetarian, vegan, and also totally delicious.
A local restaurant inspired us to make this dish, as they had a version of it on their menu. It was such a great idea that we decided to create our own recipe!
The Shuizhu Cooking Technique Explained
While the name Sichuan boiled tofu doesn’t sound all that interesting, nothing could be further from the truth!
You’ll see a couple different “shuǐ zhǔ” dishes on many Sichuan restaurant menus. This translates to “water boiled,” which basically involves velveting meat or fish, poaching it in water until cooked through but still tender, and then putting it in a serving dish with some lightly cooked vegetables (commonly soybean sprouts and enoki mushrooms, like we’ve used here).
Then, a spicy mix of chili flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, and raw garlic are put on top, and hot oil is poured over it to quickly sear those spicy ingredients and infuse their flavor throughout the dish.
Common shuǐ zhǔ dishes included Sichuan boiled beef (shuǐ zhǔ niúròu – 水煮牛肉) and Sichuan boiled fish (shuǐ zhǔ yú – 水煮鱼). This vegetarian version is a bit more unique, using pressed tofu.
What Is Pressed Tofu?
Pressed tofu is known as dòufu gān (豆腐干) in Chinese. This tofu is very firm, as it has had much of the water quite literally pressed out of it. It has an off-white or beige center, and a light brown outer layer, which comes from being braised in soy sauce and spices.
You may also see it on our blog as “spiced tofu.” That’s because many pressed tofu products are seasoned with five spice flavors. You can use both the spiced version and plain version in this recipe.
Why Make This RECIPE
If you like spicy, pungent flavors, this Sichuan boiled tofu is for you. The bean sprouts, enoki mushrooms, and tofu slices offer an interesting mix of textures, but their collective flavors are relatively bland.
The punch of taste comes from the sauce—made with Sichuan peppercorns, Sichuan dòubàn jiàng (豆瓣酱) or spicy bean paste, tomato paste, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and herbs.
When it’s all combined, you get a really interesting and tasty dish to serve with rice and a sautéed vegetable. Whether you’re vegan/vegetarian, looking to eat less meat, or perhaps just looking for a more economical way to enjoy a shuǐ zhǔ dish, this recipe is for you. If you’re not a fan of spice and in-your-face garlickiness, skip this one!
Ok, let’s get on to the recipe!
Recipe Instructions
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the tofu slices and blanch them for 30 seconds. Drain and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your wok over high heat. Stir-fry the soybean sprouts for about 2-3 minutes.
Add the enoki mushrooms, spreading the mushrooms out in a single layer, and leaving them for about 20 seconds. Then stir-fry until the mushrooms have wilted, 1 minute.
Turn off the heat, pick a large heatproof serving bowl with some depth, and spread the bean sprouts and enoki mushrooms around the bottom of the bowl.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok over medium-low heat, along with the ginger slice and Sichuan peppercorns. Cook for 3 minutes, until fragrant, then remove the peppercorns and ginger, leaving the oil behind in the wok.
To the oil, add the white parts of the scallions, the spicy bean paste, and tomato paste. Fry for 1 minute, until the oil is red, then stir in the blanched tofu. Stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Then add the water, sugar, and light soy sauce. Bring to a simmer. Then add the cornstarch slurry.
After the sauce thickens, add this mixture on top of the mushrooms and bean sprouts.
Top with the minced garlic, chili flakes, and Sichuan peppercorn powder on top. In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until it shimmers. Pour hot oil into the garlic, chili, and peppercorn powder; the ingredients should sizzle immediately.
Then sprinkle over the green parts of the scallions and the cilantro. Serve immediately.
Spicy Sichuan Boiled Tofu
Ingredients
- 10-11 ounces pressed tofu (豆腐干 – dòufu gān; either spiced or plain, cut crosswise into thin strips)
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)
- 1 cup soybean sprouts (trimmed)
- 7 ounces enoki mushrooms (fresh mushrooms; ends trimmed)
- 1 slice ginger (about 2 in/5cm long, and 1/8-inch/3mm thick)
- 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 scallions (white parts and green parts separated and chopped)
- 2 tablespoons spicy bean paste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch (mixed into a slurry with 1 tablespoon/15 ml water)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced; 1 tablespoon = about 3 to 4 cloves)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried Sichuan chili flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder
- 1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the tofu slices and blanch them for 30 seconds. Drain and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your wok over high heat. Stir-fry the soybean sprouts for about 2-3 minutes. Add the enoki mushrooms, spreading the mushrooms out in a single layer, and leaving them for about 20 seconds. Then stir-fry until the mushrooms have wilted, 1 minute. Turn off the heat, pick a large heatproof serving bowl with some depth, and spread the bean sprouts and enoki mushrooms around the bottom of the bowl.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok over medium-low heat, along with the ginger slice and Sichuan peppercorns. Cook for 3 minutes, until fragrant, then remove the peppercorns and ginger, leaving the oil behind in the wok.
- To the oil, add the white parts of the scallions, the spicy bean paste, and tomato paste. Fry for 1 minute, until the oil is red, then stir in the blanched tofu. Stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Then add the water, sugar, and light soy sauce. Bring to a simmer. Then add the cornstarch slurry. When it’s thickened, add this mixture on top of the mushrooms and bean sprouts.
- Top with the minced garlic, chili flakes, and Sichuan peppercorn powder on top. In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until it shimmers. Pour hot oil into the garlic, chili, and peppercorn powder; the ingredients should sizzle immediately. Then sprinkle over the green parts of the scallions and the cilantro. Serve immediately.
