Sunday, January 10, 2010

Stir Fried Kangkong With Fermented Tofu 南乳炒蕹菜



With news of Melbourne's temperature predicted to top 43 degrees C tomorrow, my appetite has sunk together with my eagerness to shop and cook. Something easy and light to go with rice might be the right answer since it has been declared a total fire ban as well, there goes the idea of having yet another bbq.
Have a look at kangkong fried with sambal belacan  I posted a while back if fermented tofu doesn't sound too appealing to you, but you'll be surprised with the taste and vesatility of this humble condiment.
Fermented tofu comes enhanced with chili oil, sesame oil, chili flakes or vinegar, my favourite is one fermented with red yeast rice. Apart from being used in stir fried and braised meat dishes; it is wonderful as a marinate for meat and poultry or even tofu before deep fried, or just have it as it is with rice and porridge. Do pick up a bottle of this gem next time you are at your Asian grocer and I'll be posting the different ways of using this ingredient very soon.
P.S Good news to my vegetarian friends, it also adds the wonderful umami flavour soy alone can't deliver in a vegetarian stir fry. Butterhead and cos lettuce is equally delicious cooked this way!

serves 2 to 4 as part of a Chinese meal
you'll need;
3 bunches of kankong, washed and cut into 3" length
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 red chilies, sliced
2 cubes of red fermented tofu, mashed
2 tbs of oyster sauce (or mushroom sauce for a vegetarian version)
1 tsp of sugar
dash of Chinese cooking wine
dash of soy
dash of sesame oil
salt and white pepper to taste

Cleaned and cut kangkong

In a hot wok, saute garlic and chilies with a little oil, add fermented tofu and fry til fragrant. Add the stems and fry for a minute on high heat follow by the tender leaves and seasonings. Sprinkle a little water if it is too dry and taste for seasonings.

Serve hot with plenty of steamed rice.

32 comments:

  1. Another delicious vegetarian dish! I have never heard of fermented tofu before, it sounds really interesting, thank you for introducing it here.
    Any chance of posting some tofu dishes soon?

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  2. Sighs....life is just unfair....I want to have 南乳炒通菜!

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  3. This is why you suggested we buy the fermented tofu :)
    It sure looks good, can't wait for the other dishes too!

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  4. Harriet from CarltonJanuary 11, 2010 at 12:24 AM

    I love the sound of the fermented tofu, I'll definitely get some. Never thought of using lettuce in stir fries too :)

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  5. I love tofu!!!!
    Thanks for sharing this good recipe.

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  6. Betty,
    Oh thank you!
    φιλιά

    Veggiegirl,
    Thank you! It is quite commonly use in Chinese cooking but I don't think Chinese restaurants serve them unless you request for it.
    I'll be posting more vegetarian dishes including tofu :)

    Angie,
    Oh I remember you can't get kangkong over there!

    fitzroy,
    Thanks buddy,
    Absolutely! Thanks, I'll be using them for some meat dishes soon.

    Harriet,
    Oh I'm glad you like the sound of it :) Coming soon!

    Matteo,
    You are welcome :)

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  7. this green dish is so wonderful !! thanks for the sharing !! Pierre

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  8. 炒得很香呀,可會做南乳燜肉嗎?

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  9. une superbe assiette merci pour le partage
    bonne journée

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  10. I envy you..it's freezing cold here..Wish I could stay half of the year in Australia and the other half in US, so that I could enjoy summer year round..lol..like Tofu..and this recipe sounds great :-)

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  11. definitely my kind of food! this looks so healthy and delicious.

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  12. I missed having this dish and yours looks fantastic. Not looking forward to the 43 c at all :(

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  13. This looks so wonderful- I've never tried cooking with fermented tofu before. I'll certainly give it a try after reading this. Love your recipes!

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  14. Sophia made this the other day but it didn't look as good haha!
    We are making khao klup gapi tonight, the house is going to stink for days!

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  15. Aux délices des gourmets
    merci bien!

    Gulmohar,
    That would be ideal haha! Not sure if I prefer -10 or 43 C atm. You must try this when the weather is warmer!

    Sook,
    Thank you! It is a very healthy dish indeed!

    KL girl in MELB,
    Thanks! and now you know how easy it is to cook it at home. I'm not looking forward to it too!

    Sanjana,
    Thank you! I hope you'll be a convert too! :)

    Vijay,
    Haha I hope she doesn't read your comment! Can you fry the rice outside? Please let me know the result!

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  16. I had this once in Hong Kong recently. Thanks for the recipe, now I can cook it at home. Can't wait for the other recipes using the fermented tofu! Keep cool!

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  17. Miss kangkong here. Can find it sometimes but mainly the stems only :( I remember when I first came here, I planted them in flower pots in the sun room. Ate a few times and got lazy to plant more. Maybe I should try again. Need to get the seeds.

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  18. Was told to check on your blog, this is great! Love all your recipes!
    We normally cook this with sambal belacan, I'm so going to try this version!

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  19. We are having a meat free month, this is just perfect! May I request for some tofu dishes? Thank you!

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  20. Looks delicious! Must try to get some of the fermented tofu next time I'm down Victoria street.

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  21. Michele,
    Glad you have tasted it and like it, I'll be posting them soon. Will do, thanks!

    Mary,
    Haha must be hard being a Miss kangkong but can't get good ones there. You must try to grow them again, let me know if you want me to get you some seeds.

    Yasmin,
    Oh thank you and please also thank your friend for me.
    Now you have a new recipe, please do!

    Anu,
    Absolutely! I'll be having more vegetarian dishes.

    love to eat,
    Thank you! You must do that!

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  22. อร่อย มาก! ชอบ มาก! ขอบคุณ

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  23. You have a great blog! Love your recipes! I'll have to spend more time to explore :)

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  24. pierre,
    Thank you very much!

    大肥,
    謝謝!耐心等一等啊!

    muu,
    ขอบคุณ! ไม่ เป็นไร!

    CW,
    Thank you for following! :)

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  25. rau muong in either sambal belacan and this fermented tofu are winners in our book. Well done!

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  26. Oh I love this one , this looks so good with a hot bowl of rice...yummy !

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  27. Ravenous Couple,
    Thank you! Now I know they are call rau muong in Vietnamese!

    MrsLavendula,
    Thank you!

    My Little Things Corner,
    Thanks :)

    Pearlyn,
    Thank you! I always prepare a lot of rice! :)

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  28. what makes Fried Kangkong stays green?

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  29. Kangkong is my favourite!

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