Black Bean Sauce Yong Tau Foo

Note: First posted in Dec 2008, now updated with new photos and improved recipe.

Get this recipe on the next page >>

This Yong Tau Foo in Black Bean Sauce is a homely Chinese dish. The yong tau foo (abbreviated to “YTF” in this article) pieces cooked in a savoury black bean sauce is something different from the usual YTF soup one usually have at home. This dish is so deliciously savoury and spicy that we always eat more rice to polish off all the sauce. It is entirely optional, but cooking and serving this dish in a claypot makes this dish extra special.

Related Recipes:

• Black Bean Sauce Beef Recipe (above)
• Black Bean Sauce Chicken Recipe
• Claypot Recipes

More about “Yong Tau Foo” (釀豆腐).  It literally stands for “stuffed bean curd”, but now the name has expanded to a broader term and apply to all kinds of ingredients stuffed with fish paste – for example, lady’s fingers, bitter gourd and eggplant. Even ingredients which are not stuffed such as meat balls, dumplings and certain vegetables have now been associated with common YTF selections. To me, the YTF sold at the wet markets are superior to the ones at the supermarket, so I will not miss buying them to cook this dish whenever I have a chance.

Print

Black Bean Sauce "Yong Tau Foo" Recipe

When cooking the yong tau foo pieces, note that cooking time will vary for different types of ingredients. The thinner slices will cook faster, so take them out earlier in Step 1as they are cooked.

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients:

• 350 grams “yong tau foo” (釀豆腐; about 15 pieces or so)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tsp fermented black beans rinsed, patted dry, mashed slightly with fork
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 chilli padi sliced
• 1 tsp hot bean sauce/”la dou ban jiang” (辣豆瓣酱)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• cornstarch slurry solution (1 tsp cornstarch mix with 2 tsp water)

Directions:

1. Cook yong tau foo pieces in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in claypot or wok and stir fry fermented black beans, garlic and chilli until fragrant.
3. Add hot bean sauce, oyster sauce and water to the casserole, stir evenly to form a paste.
4. Add the blanched yong tau foo pieces and stir to coat them well in the sauce. Thicken the sauce with cornstarch slurry.

Noob Cook Tips

1. As a short-cut, you can also use bottled sauce such as Lee Kum Kee spicy black bean sauce. Check out this recipe for more information.
2. For best results, cook and serve this dish in a claypot.

Ingredients Used: bean sauce • chilli padi • cornflour • fermented black bean • fish • garlic • oyster sauce • tofu • yong tau foo