Steamed Tofu with Shrimp

I discovered this dish several years ago at a local Chinese restaurant. There are very few Asian families in my town so the food at Chinese restaurants tends to be more Americanized. When we came in for a meal, the owner decided to try out some experimental, more authentic dishes on us. I felt honored and excited to be a food critic. Surprisingly, he brought out a plate of steamed tofu with a very fragrant clear sauce. It looked like a piece of white marble decorated with flowers (pink shrimp), leaves (green onions) and some white clouds (egg white). We gave it a high mark by emptying the plate in a swift. And now, this tofu dish is always a hit at our dinner table.

Ingredients:
1 case of soft or medium Tofu
7 jumbo shrimps
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 cup chicken broth
Cornstarch
1 egg white, beaten
1-1/2 tablespoons chopped green onion

Seasonings:
Salt, wine and ground pepper

Directions:
1. Evenly cut the tofu into 8 rectangular boxes. Soak the tofu in salty water for 10 minutes. Drain the water and lay flat the tofu boxes in a deep dish. Scoop off the center part of the tofu boxes to make it a pocket.

2. Remove shell and veins of the shrimp and chop it to fine. Mix the shrimp with minced ginger, cornstarch, and season with salt, wine and ground pepper.
3. Scoop the shrimp mixture to fill out the tofu pockets. Steam tofu for about 20 minutes.

4. Heat up the chicken broth (or the excess liquid coming out of tofu after it’s steamed) with medium flame in a pan; season with salt and ground pepper. When the chicken broth is boiling, add the wet cornstarch mixture (mix 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 3 teaspoons water), slowly add the beaten egg white into the gravy sauce, add chopped green onions, and mix well. Pour the gravy sauce onto the steamed tofu and serve.

With the look of the dish and the appetizing smell, it will make you want to try it at the first sight.