Savory Steamed Silken Tofu with Crispy Shiitakes

If you’re looking for the perfect meal to share with one or two other people, this one has my vote- steamed silken tofu! It’s simple to make, but looks much more elaborate with all the bits and piece that go on top. Serve rice bowls, and take turns scooping soft, savory tofu into your bowl, enjoying the crispy shiitakes, fresh scallions, and amazing savory sauce. If you’ve been looking for something more than smoothies to enjoy your silken tofu in, this steamed silken tofu dish is the perfect way to broaden your tofu horizons.

Skip the Post, Click for a Print-Friendly Recipe

About the Tofu Types

Tofu is made from coagulating the proteins in soymilk- it’s actually basically the same way cheese is made! And like cheese, it comes in a variety of shapes and forms. While you can get smoked and seasoned, fermented and baked tofu, it all starts in the water content. The less water, the firmer the tofu is. While technically there is such thing as super firm tofu, typically extra firm is the firmest you’ll see. It holds it’s shape well, and is great for frying and getting that good crisp on. Firm tofu is probably the most versatile and widely available. When bought in water as it often is, you should usually drain off any extra liquid by pressing it out with a weighted object. It works wonderfully with marinades and holds its shape well when fried or cooked in soups and stews. Medium or regular tofu is actually fairly hard to come by in the US. It’s a fairly soft tofu that is great in sauces, but will likely break apart if you try and pan fry it. If you have it available, it would work well in this silken tofu recipe. Speaking of silken, the softest tofu is called silken tofu. It’s very often used as more of a cream- blended into smoothies, made into dips, or blended into a cheesecake. It’s very delicate, which is part of the reason we kept it in a large block to steam it. It’s also super creamy and smooth, and definitely deserves other treatments aside from just being blended into things.

Looking for Recipes Using Tofu? Try one of these!

• Roasted Black Bean Tofu-A High Vegan Protein Dish
• Chili Braised Tofu
• Fried Hoisin Tofu with Peanut Sauce-Touched Udon
• Vegan French Onion Tart (Vegan Quiche)
• Vegetarian Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Rice Flour Crepes)
• Baked Chile Relleno Cornbread Casserole
• Good Morning Vegan Hard Boiled Eggs
• Hibiscus Flower and White Bean Vegan Tostadas

That Tofu Taste

You definitely find a lot of people out there that don’t like tofu, either for the texture, the taste, or some anti-vegan prejudice. My response to a lot of tofu haters is to remind them that most of us cook our tofu- bake it, fry it, smother it in sauce, and the taste and texture is pretty different than just eating a block of raw tofu. But as you might have noticed, this recipe is basically a block of tofu. So if you hate tofu for the texture, move on because this dish has all the wonderful silky, creamy texture of silken tofu. But if you hate tofu for the taste, you still might like this recipe. We’ve done two things here to change the flavor. The first is the delicious sauce that coats every inch of the surface of the tofu. As you scoop out pieces, get a little extra sauce for added delicious flavor. The second is steaming- while we only cook this tofu for 5 minutes, steaming it in the microwave, that actually does something important for those who don’t like tofu’s flavor. Tofu has a subtle soybean taste, that can be a little “green” or uncooked to those with a sensitive palate. Cooking it- even just steaming it for 5 minutes- will really reduce that green flavor. So if you don’t like that tofu taste, make sure you’ve tried it cooked before you go throwing in the towel on tofu.

Chinese-Style Food Sauces

A lot of Chinese-style cooking relies on different sauces to get those satisfying flavors, and we did in this recipe as well. Many of these ingredients can be found at your local supermarket, but others you might have to hunt for a little- check out your Asian grocery store, or you can always turn to the internet for help. Here is what to look for in this recipe.

• Vegetarian Oyster Sauce: While oyster sauce is a common ingredient in Chinese food, there’s a simple alternative- vegetarian oyster sauce, also sometimes called Vegetarian Mushroom Sauce. The primary ingredient in most of these sauces is shiitake mushrooms, and they have a sweet and savory umami flavor. I buy mine at my local Asian grocery store (I can’t seem to find the exact brand online), but you could also try making your own!
• Garlic Chili Sauce is an ingredient I use a lot in my recipes, and am pretty fond of. It’s got one of my flavor chili flavors, and is a go-to when I want to add a little heat to a recipe. I go with the classic Huy Fong brand (it can be found in many stores), but be wary when using other brands as they may contain shrimp or anchovies.
• Rice Wine Vinegar also just called rice vinegar, this is a common vinegar in Asain cooking. It’s light and bright, mildly flavored, delicate and sweet. If you can’t find any, try some apple cider vinegar, although use a little less as the flavor of apple cider vinegar is stronger.
• Soy Sauce I think soy sauce is more of a kitchen staple than a specialty item, but I wanted to talk about it for a second anyways. I use regular run of the mill soy sauce- whatever is cheapest/on sale- but people with allergies may want to take another route. Soy sauce contains both soy and wheat- although I assume if you’re making this recipe you’re okay with soy. Go for tamari if you have a gluten allergy or sensativity.

Making Steamed Silken Tofu

This steamed silken tofu is super easy to make, quick, and delicious. The toughest part is handling the tofu, which is very delicate. That being said, handle it as little as possible. To remove it from the container, it might help to slide a butter knife along the edges to loosen it, than turn it upside down on a microwave safe plate (one with edges that curve up, to hold the sauce later). To drain any extra water that pools on the plate, either gently tip it over the sink, supporting the tofu with your hand, or blot it away with a paper towel. Although I’m sure some won’t approve, we are steaming this tofu in the microwave. Cover it with some wax paper to keep the moisture in, and microwave on 80% power. Once it’s done, drain any extra water again.

And the rest is all toppings- fry some thinly sliced onions and shiitake mushrooms for some crunch. Finely chop scallions, chili pepper and cilantro. Make a sauce by mixing all the ingredients well. Top the tofu off with all those ingredients, and a little sprinkle of sesame seeds, and get ready to eat. Have fun sharing this meal over rice!

Savory Steamed Silken Tofu with Crispy Shiitakes

Click for a Print-Friendly Recipe

Like this Recipe? Pin it!