Sapo Tofu

This is one of popular dish in Indonesia with Chinese influence. I and my friends used to order this this at the restaurant back then when We were still in University. Until one day, my mother taught me how to make it by myself. It turned out to be so simple to make. The ingredients are not hard to find as well. I only need soft tofu, and many vegetables. My mother suggest me to use seafood or chicken or pork for this dish. But I can use egg instead of seafood and chicken for less meat version. Well... to be honest, I do not know if this is Szechuan style or Cantonese style or any other style. I only know this is my mother's style and it is as delicious as restaurant style.

Few weeks ago, i made sapo tofu at home for dinner. I was using frozen mixed seafood (It is a mix of small shrimp, calamari, surimi, ark shell, and mussels), fish ball, and chikuwa (roasted fish roll). I bought them all in Asian grocery store. For the vegetables, i was using broccoli and carrot because that were what i had in hand. Another vegetables such as baby carrots, pak choy, or even paprika will work as well. You can add shitake or champignon mushroom as well if you like.

Ingredients (Serving for 4-5 portion):

• 2 pack of egg tofu
• 3 tbs corn starch
• 2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, cut stripes
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 200 grams (about 2 cups) of frozen mixed seafood, defrosted.
• 150 grams broccoli, cut into small pieces
• 200 grams carrot or 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 6 fish balls, cut into half
• 6 chikuwa, cut into half
• 250-350 ml (about 1-1 1/2 cup water)
• 3 tbs oyster sauce
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs sweet soy sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tbs cooking wine/angciu (optional)
• salt and pepper
• in a small bowl : mix 1 tbs tapioca starch with 2 tbs water. Set aside

First, let's make fried tofu. 

1. Take out the tofu from its package by cutting the package and the tofu into 2 part. (You will see the cutting like on back of the package)
   
   
   
   
2. Cut the tofu into small cylinder with about 1.5 -2 cm thickness for each slice. You will get about 6-7 sliced tofu out of 1 package.
3. In a pan, preheat vegetable oil.
4. Meanwhile, dust the sliced tofu using corn starch until all the surface is covered well.
5. Put the tofu into preheated oil, and fry them until golden brown.
6. Remove the tofu from the pan and remove the excess oil.
7. Set aside.

Tip : when frying tofu, do not flip it over too often otherwise you will break the tofu. Let it sit on the hot oil until the bottom become golden brown before flip it and fry the other side. This kind of tofu is very soft and fragile. 

Now let's make sapo tofu.

1. In a big pan / wok pan, preheat about 4 tbs vegetable oil
2. Add sliced onion and minced garlic into the pan and saute until the onion become translucent.
3. Add mixed seafood. Stir it well.
4. Add all vegetables. Stir them all until the vegetables are half cooked.
5. Add fish ball and chikuwa and stir it again
6. Add water, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, and ginger powder
7. Stir them well and let it cooked for a while until the vegetables become tender and the water is started to boil.
8. Add salt, pepper, and cooking wine
9. Stir mixture of tapioca starch and water in the bowl, and pour it slowly to thickened the liquid of sapo tofu. Stir it slowly.
10. Add fried tofu, and stir it carefully. Be careful not to break the tofu. 
11. Serve it warm.

Tip : If you do not like seafood, you can always substitute it with chicken or pork (about 100 grams sliced chicken/pork will do the work) and skip the fish ball and chikuwa . If you want to make meatless version, use scrambled egg instead. Before sauteing the onion and garlic, beat 2 eggs and make scrambled egg in the pan.  Remove the scrambled egg, and set it aside. Start to cook the onion and other vegetables and add the scrambled egg back before adding mixture of tapioca starch.