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    Home » All Recipes » Steamed Tofu in Black Bean Sauce

    Steamed Tofu in Black Bean Sauce

    Published: Jul 14, 2020 Updated: Mar 22, 2022 by Sophie Leave a Comment

    3.0K shares
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    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.

    a plate of steamed silken tofu with black bean sauce

    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

    Watch the Recipe Video

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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.

    a plate of steamed silken tofu

    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:

    • Stuffed Eggplant with Black Bean Sauce
    • Braised Fish with Lao Gan Ma Sauce
    • Stuffed Tofu in Black Bean Sauce

    Tofu doesn’t have to be bland. Here are more tofu recipes for you to try:

    • Steamed Tofu with Mushrooms and Vegetables
    • Steamed Tofu with Ground Pork
    • Vietnamese Fried Tofu with Scallions
    • Vietnamese Lemongrass Chili Tofu (Dau Hu Chien Sa Ot)
    • Vietnamese Vegan Pho Noodle Soup (Pho Chay)
    • Silken Tofu with Salted Egg Sauce

    ⭐️ 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 with Black Bean Sauce

    Steamed Tofu in Black Bean Sauce

    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.
    No ratings yet
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    Course: Appetizers and Side dishes, Main Dish
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Keyword: easy, healthy, quick, summer
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories: 117kcal
    Author: Sophie

    Ingredients

    US Customary – Grams

    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.

    Video

    Notes

    We like the dish to be on the saucy side but feel free to spoon as much (or as little) sauce over the tofu as you want.
    If your fermented black beans seem hard, you can roughly chop them before cooking the sauce.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 268mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
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    Hi, I'm Sophie! Delightful Plate is where I share authentic Vietnamese recipes that have been cooked in my family for years, as well as other Asian recipes and recipes inspired by ingredients and flavors from other cuisines. Read More…

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