Recipe: Tofu & Stuffing Stuffed Peppers
A classic dish that turns up on every dinner table in the Chinese household is stuffed vegetables. These vegetables can be bell peppers, aubergines, bitter melon — anything that has a cavity. Usually they are stuffed with minced pork, making it a cheap and quick dish to prepare.
An easy veganized version of this is to replace the pork with tofu and to add a binding agent, such as stuffing! Lately I have been clearing out my store cupboard, and found some store–bought sage and onion mix. It made for a nice East–West fusion dish, and a frugal way to make vegetables go further.
The key to a good mouthfeel is to use a twice cooking method of pan–frying and blistering the peppers before quickly steaming them. This is how it’s typically done in dim sum restaurants.
Let me know if you try this recipe and share your results on Instagram with #CelestialPeach.
Ingredients
100g firm tofu
100g stuffing mix
Optional: 1/2 tsp five spice
Peppers in any shape or size
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
Remove the stems and seeds of the peppers, taking care to maintain the general vessel shape of each pepper.
Finely chop the tofu.
Prepare the stuff according to instructions.
Mix the tofu with the stuffing. Here’s where you can get creative and add your own additional flavourings. I simply added a pinch of five spice.
Stuff the peppers with the mix.
Heat the oil in a large flat–bottomed frying pan, and pan fry the peppers, ensuring that all sides get some heat until they appear blistered.
Place the peppers in a steamer (or DIY steaming contraption) and steam for 15 minutes to finish.
