With Domaine des Lauriers Vouvray 2021
Marinate sauce (滷水) is a very popular sauce particular in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Shanghai and Chiu Chow. It is a very versatile sauce that you can blend it with anything!
Steamed tofu egg with Taiwanese marinated minced meat 肉燥老少平安
Ingredients:
For the steamed tofu egg:
300g silk tofu, pat dry
3 large eggs
Salt and peppers
For the marinated minced meat:
150g minced meat
2 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked overnight or until soft and diced
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 gloves of garlic, finely chopped
Olive oil
Chopped spring onions and toasted sesame, optional, to garnish
Ingredients for the marinate sauce:
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1 teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder
1 teaspoons of dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons of Shaoxing rice wine or sake
2 teaspoons of cane sugar or brown sugar
Salt and peppers
10g of yellow rock sugar (it is a crystalised yellow sugar, you can buy in any Asian grocery stores)
2 pieces of star anise
2 pieces of bay leaves
200ml of water
Methods:
Add a generous pinch of sea salt and pepper to the minced meat, mix well and leave for 10 minutes
Beat the eggs in a large bowl, add the tofu, blend, and mix until a smooth paste is formed. Add some sea salt and peppers and mix well. Put the paste to a heat resistant serving plate. Set aside
Heat up a non-stick pan in high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil until hot. Add the diced shitake mushrooms until aroma is released; add the minced meat and loosen it up. Add the shallot and garlic and keep frying until they are softened, and the meat is golden
Add all the ingredients of the marinate sauce apart from the rock sugar, star anise, bay leaves and water. Mix well and reduce
Add the last four ingredients once the meat sauce is reduced. Bring to boil. Simmer for 15 minutes with lid on. If you prefer less sauce in the meat, take the lid out in the last 5 minutes
While the meat is cooking, steam the tofu egg paste for 8 minutes. The tofu egg should be solid when it is done. Steam for 2-5 more minutes if the paste is still runny or too soft
When both the tofu egg and minced meat are done, take the tofu egg out and ladle out the marinated meat on the top. Sprinkle some chopped spring onion and the roasted sesame on the top and serve
Tips:
Make sure you wipe dry the lid before putting in the paste for steaming. It will avoid the condensation from dripping into the food
Start frying the minced meat only when it starts to golden. It will enhance the flavour
LKK marinate sauce is a good alternative if you want to save time
Wine pairing:
Marinate sauce (滷水) is a very popular sauce particular in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Shanghai and Chiu Chow. It is a very versatile sauce that you can blend it with anything, but it is often used to marinate meat, tofu and eggs and the dish can be served cold. It has a complex flavour that combines sweet, savour, umami and spicy in one pot.
The tofu egg is called “老少平安” (“good for the old and the young”) in Cantonese because it is soft without any bones and is easy to digest. I topped the tofu egg with marinated minced meat so that it creates a different flavour profile. The strong flavoured marinated minced meat can be quite overwhelming on the palate so serving it together with steamed tofu egg gives the strong flavour a good balance. The smoothness of the tofu egg wraps up the rough texture of the minced meat. Since the name of the dish is quite positive and hence festive in Chinese culture, it is a good dish to be served during Chinese New Year.
For wine, I have chosen a young bottle of Domaine des Lauriers Vouvray 2021. This wine has earthy mushroom and honeysuckle notes as well as the classic pear, citrus and green apple flavours. The aromatic note matches perfectly with the shitake mushroom and minced meat whilst the green fruit flavours act the same way as the tofu to the meat – it gives a good balance on your palate. Since it wine has very high acidity, it also helps cut through the strong and potentially overwhelming flavour of the marinated minced meat.
Comments