Last Updated on October 5, 2023 by Simon Fan
Cold tofu recipes are great for many occasions throughout the years, especially in warm weather. In China, the most popular of them all is arguably tofu with pidan (皮蛋, preserved duck egg). Oftentimes chopped zhacai (榨菜, preserved mustard stem) comes into the mix to add layers of flavor and texture.
In spring, a special treat is tofu tossed with the fragrant, tender leaves of Chinese toon (香椿). The blanched and chopped leaves speckle the glistening tofu cubes, creating an alluring dish.
My recipe here is inspired by that dish. Replacing the toon leaves, which have a very short season and are hard to find in the US, are garlic chives (韭菜). The crisp-tender chives, with a vibrant garlicky, oniony flavor, pair well with tofu, giving you a beautiful and tasty dish in just a few minutes. You can find garlic chives at Asian grocery stores. If they’re not available, use scallions instead—tofu with chopped raw scallions is another all-time favorite in China. You can also try cilantro as another option.
I like to use silken tofu for this recipe, though other varieties of tofu work too. Because silken tofu is made by coagulating soy milk without curdling it, different from how regular tofu is made, it has a smoother, pudding-like texture and is easier to cut into slices or cubes. Silken tofu in aseptic packaging can be enjoyed cooked or raw, hot or cold.
Here is another dish with cold silken tofu: Crabmeat and silken tofu salad. For more recipes featuring garlic chives, click here, here, and here.
Cold silken tofu with garlic chives
Serves 2
Ingredients
10 oz (285 g) silken tofu
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 oz (85 g) garlic chives, cut crosswise into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped zhacai (preserved mustard stem)
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon chili oil or sesame oil
Directions
- Cut the tofu into ½-inch (1.3 cm) cubes and place them on a serving plate.
- Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over high heat until shimmering, then add the garlic chives and stir-fry until just wilted, about 40 seconds. Transfer them to a separate plate.
- Pour off any excess water from the tofu collected on the plate. Drizzle in the soy sauce and gently mix to coat. Add the chives and zhacai and combine gently. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper or any seasoning you like. Drizzle the chili oil on top and serve.
