Steamed Tofu in Black Bean Sauce is light yet flavorful. It is also incredibly quick and easy to make. A great dish to serve with rice especially in summer.
I think even meat-eaters will enjoy this steamed tofu dish. It is light yet fragrant thanks to the ginger and Sichuan pepper. The tofu is delicate, silky smooth and dressed with a savory black bean sauce.
In case you want something more filling, I recommend these recipes:
- Steamed tofu version with ground pork
- Steamed tofu with mushrooms and vegetables
- Stuffed tofu in black bean sauce
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Ingredients
To make this simple dish surprisingly tasty and flavorful, you will need the following ingredients:
- silken tofu: this is the best type of tofu for steaming. When coated with starch or flour, it can also be deep-fried like in this silken tofu with salted egg yolk sauce recipe.
- fermented black beans: they are well known as one of the ingredients in mapo tofu. These small beans are full of salty and umami flavors.
- ground Sichuan pepper: I often buy Sichuan peppercorns, toast and grind them myself for the best taste. Also a key ingredient in mapo tofu as well as many other Sichuan dishes, it has a somewhat lemony fragrance and leaves a tingly numbness in the mouth.
- oyster sauce and soy sauce (or light soy sauce).
- garlic and ginger
You can find fermented black beans and Sichuan peppercorns at a lot of Asian grocery stores. I like to order mine from The Mala Market, their products are of high quality.
How to Make Steamed Tofu in Black Bean Sauce
1️⃣ We will steam the tofu first. Be careful while slicing and handling to avoid breaking the tofu since silken tofu is very delicate. Discard the liquid in the plate after steaming.
2️⃣ Make the sauce while steaming the tofu. This sauce tastes pretty similar to the one in my Stuffed Eggplant with Black Bean Sauce recipe. Once the tofu is hot, just pour the sauce over the tofu. That’s basically it. Minimal preparation and cooking steps.
We love to serve this light and healthy dish with rice in summer, but I think it is great all-year round. Please find step-by-step instructions for this silken tofu with black bean sauce recipe in the recipe card below.
Related Recipes
If you like fermented black beans, you should also try these dishes:
Tofu doesn’t have to be bland. Here are more tofu recipes for you to try:
⭐️ I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment and a rating if you have tried it. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
Steamed Tofu in Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
For the Tofu
- 10.5 oz silken tofu
- 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
- pinch of salt
- ground Sichuan pepper
- 2-3 teaspoons julienned ginger
For the Black Bean Sauce
- olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fermented black beans, briefly rinsed
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon water, divided
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 stalk of scallion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Slice tofu into thin slices, about 1/2 inch (1.25cm) thick. Arrange them overlapping slightly on a plate that you will use to steam.
- Drizzle sesame oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper over the tofu. Top it with julienned ginger. Cover the plate and steam until hot, about 6-7 minutes.
- While steaming the tofu, make the sauce. Add a little olive oil to a small saucepan (or small deep pan) over medium heat. Add minced ginger and sauté until fragrant.
- Add minced garlic and continue to sauté for a few seconds until fragrant. Then add fermented black beans and also sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Add oyster sauce and soy sauce to the saucepan. Give everything a quick stir and then add 1/2 cup (120ml) of water. Bring it to a simmer.
- Combine cornstarch with 1/2 tablespoon of water to make a cornstarch slurry and gradually pour it into the saucepan while stirring to thicken the black bean sauce to your liking.
- Once the tofu is hot, remove the plate from the steamer. Discard the liquid in the plate, then pour the black bean sauce over the tofu slices.
- Scatter scallion slices and sprinkle Sichuan pepper over the tofu and serve right away with rice.
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