From Eat Drink Man Woman · 1994 · Reconstructed
Tsu-An Tofu
Serve when
Serve it as Jia-Chien does — 'unfortunately you don't have a bamboo steamer, but taste it anyway' — the elaborate dish she cooks in secret for an ex she isn't sure she still wants.
In the movie
Theatrical
- 00:41:08 Jia-Chien shows up at her ex-boyfriend Raymond's apartment and cooks him a full dinner from her father's restaurant kitchen, starting with Tsu-An Tofu — tofu blended into chicken, steamed until it looks like a honeycomb, then cut into pieces and stewed with ham in old broth.
Jia-Chien learned to cook in her father's restaurant kitchen and was never allowed to use it — cooking there, she says, would be "stealing his thunder." So she cooks for Raymond instead, in his ordinary apartment kitchen, apologizing that he doesn't even own the right steamer. It's the film's clearest statement of her whole arc: a genuine talent for food, inherited from the best chef in the story, with nowhere sanctioned to use it.
Ingredients
Method
- Blend the tofu and ground chicken together until completely smooth — a food processor makes quick work of it. Beat in the egg whites, Shaoxing wine, salt, and white pepper.
- Pour the mixture into a lightly oiled heatproof bowl or mold and steam over medium-low heat 30-40 minutes, until it sets firm with a honeycomb of tiny air pockets throughout — like a savory custard.
- Let it cool slightly, then turn out and cut into neat pieces.
- Simmer the broth with the ham slices until deeply flavored, then slide the cut tofu pieces in and let them warm through and absorb the broth, 5-10 minutes.
- Thicken the broth lightly with the cornstarch slurry and serve the pieces bathed in the hot ham broth.
Substitutions
- Bamboo steamer: a metal steamer basket, a rack in a covered wok, or a heatproof bowl set over simmering water all work. Keep the heat moderate; a hard boil makes the custard coarse instead of honeycombed.
- Jinhua ham: prosciutto, country ham, or a small piece of smoked ham hock in the broth gives the salty cured-pork depth. Use less at first, because these substitutes can be saltier than Chinese ham.
- Ground chicken breast: ground chicken thigh makes a softer, richer mousse. If you use breast, blend thoroughly and don't oversteam.
- Shaoxing wine: dry sherry is the closest common swap; use a teaspoon of rice vinegar and extra broth for an alcohol-free version.
Beyond the recipe
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