Five Spice Pressed Tofu (also known as dried tofu) is a very versatile ingredient for a variety of recipes. It can act as a meat substitute for many dishes as well as complement a meat dish. It can be eaten chilled as a salad, stir-fried, or braised. Some popular dishes include 「Braised Pork Belly with Pressed Tofu」 (豆干紅燒肉), 「Sliced Pressed Tofu with Pork Stir-Fry」 (香乾肉絲), and 「Pressed Tofu Salad」 (涼拌豆干). Being that most of the liquid has been squeezed out, they also last longer in the fridge than regular tofu.
You can usually find them in Asian supermarkets. However, I find that their prices are much higher than tofu and many of them contain preservatives and chemicals that I’d rather not put into my body. After researching various Chinese websites, I’ve come up with this simple recipe that is suitable for the American kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 4 pressed tofu (from 4 packs of tofu)*
- 2 cup of water (enough to submerse the tofu in liquid)
- ½ cup of dark soy sauce**
- ¼ cup of rice wine
- ½ tsp five spice powder*** (optional)
- ½ inch of ginger sliced
- 1 tbs sugar
- 1 fresh red chili pepper sliced (optional)
* If you don’t have access to pressed tofu – you can make your own pressed tofu.
**dark soy sauce gives the tofu a darker browner finish but you can use regular soy sauce
*** five spice is a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorn
Instructions:
Cut up each tofu into 4 squares so you have 16 squares. Put all the ingredients (except the tofu) into a pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium and put the tofu squares into the pot, make sure to fully submerse the tofu. Let it braise on a gentle boil for about 30 minutes.
Remove and place into a single layer on a baking sheet layered with parchment paper (to prevent sticking). Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Turn tofu over and bake for another 15 minutes until braising liquid has dried
.
Let it cool before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should keep up to 1 week.
- 4 pressed tofu (from 4 packs of tofu)*
- 2 cup of water (enough to submerse the tofu in liquid)
- ½ cup of dark soy sauce**
- ¼ cup of rice wine
- ½ tsp five spice powder*** (optional)
- ½ inch of ginger sliced
- 1 tbs sugar
- 1 fresh red chili pepper sliced (optional)
- Cut up each tofu into 4 squares.
- Put all the ingredients (except the tofu) into a pot and bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat down to medium and put in the tofu squares and braise for about 30 minutes.
- Remove and place on baking sheet.
- Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.
- Turn tofu over and bake for another 15 minutes until braising liquid has dried.
- Let it cool and slice and serve
**dark soy sauce gives the tofu a darker browner finish but you can use regular soy sauce
*** five spice is a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorn
Hi! I’m so glad I found this because I would love to make my own five spice tofu than have to buy it all the time. One question though, is there a specific rice wine you recommend for this recipe? Thanks so much for this!
Any rice wine would work. The standard clear rice cooking wine is fine. If you want a bit more depth of flavor, you can try shaoxing wine. ~Mike
Couldn’t find any 5 Spice tofu in the shops so decided to look for a recipe. This one seemed straight forward and required solid and sound ingredients.
I have never braised or roasted tofu before. It is gorgeous! Just did one block but have eaten much of it already (before i prepare the meal) as it is just such a good flavour and texture. Thank you so much for this!
I don’t buy 5 spice tofu from the supermarket anymore. I don’t like that they have preservatives as well as artificial coloring. Home made is the best! ~Mike
Thank you for this recipe. Most useful!