Hakka Yong Tau Foo 客家酿豆腐

I always thought Hakka yong tau foo is a tedious dish to prepare 'cos of the preparation of the fish paste. So instead of making fish paste from scratch, I bought the ready made fish paste from the wet market yong tau foo stall! Traditional Hakka yong tau foo stuffing added with salted fish (梅香) but I omit that and replaced it with homemade fried sole fish powder. Hehehe... I'm (100% Teochew) not a Hakka in dialect, this dish may not taste as authentic but I'm satisfied with the short-cut result :) 

All the vegetables/tofu ready to be deep fried after filling in with fish paste stuffings. Oops I've actually forgotten to buy some tofu puffs :) 

Looks so yummylicious after frying! Can be served immediately or ....

with gravy! 

Ingredient
Filling :

• 500gm fish paste (bought from wet market Yong Tau Foo stall)
• 200gm minced pork
• 8 water chestnut, peeled and diced
• 2 spring onion, diced
• 4 tbsp fried sole fish powder (deep fry dried sole fish and grind into powder)
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• beaten egg : for sticking the filling

Varieties of vegetables for stuffing : 

• brinjal, sliced diagonally and soak in salted water to prevent browning
• firm tofu, halved
• bitter gourd, slice into round and seeds removed
• fresh shiitake mushroom
• lady fingers, slit and seeds removed
• chilli peppers

Sauce: qty can be doubled if desired

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 shallots, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup water
• cornflour water for thickening

Method

1. Combine all filling ingredients evenly to form a sticky paste.  Taste test : As the store bought fish paste saltiness varies,  do not add too much seasoning at one go. The above seasoning I did  tasted just right for me. Heat a little oil in pan, add a small dollop of filling paste onto pan and fry till golden brown. Cool slightly and taste. If it is not salty enough, adjust seasoning by adding some salt or sugar to the raw paste. Proceed with the stuffing process.
2. Spread a little beaten egg into vegetables/tofu cavities, follow by adequate amount of fish paste. Using your fingers, lightly smear some beaten egg around the edge of each stuffing. Neatly place the stuffed yong tau foo on a large plate.
3. Heat some oil in wok. Place stuffed yong tau foo, fillings side down first, fry till golden brown on both sides. Drain on kitchen papers.
4. After all stuffed ingredients are fried, with remaining 2 tbsp oil in wok, sauté garlic and shallots till fragrant.
5. Add in hot water and seasoning and bring to boil. Add in some fried yong tau foo into the broth and simmer briefly for about 2 mins. Stir gently. Add in cornstarch water to thicken the gravy. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Alternately, omit the simmering process and serve the fried yong tau foo by drizzle the sauce over along with rice or noodles.