~ Stir-fried Mashed Beancurd with Minced Chicken Wrapped in Lettuce ~
At a glance, this dish appeared to be an ordinary one, just like any other minced meat with beancurd/Tau Kwa dish. I learnt this dish from Madam Annie Ho, the Director of AMC Singapore during a cooking sharing session. To be honest, the recipe did not catch my attention until the moment I saw the tau kwa being cooked without the addition of oil!
Why is this classified as a Hakka dish? As the Hakka tribe uses a lot of minced meat, particularly minced pork, this dish is classified as a Hakka dish. A more commonly known Hakka dish is “Yong Tau Fu” or stuffed minced meat in Beancurd. A slight variation from the original idea of Hakka, I substituted minced pork with minced chicken breasts.
Beancurd cooked without oil in a pan does not require addition of oil. It is the first time I witness such delicate food like Tau Kwa cooked without oil and yet it does not stick to the Pan. When, I put the beancurd wrapped in fresh lettuce into my mouth, I know that I must cook this one for my family.
I am glad that I attended the session as I never thought of mashing Tau Kwa this way. I already love them in pieces. Being mummy to a pre-schooler, I particularly like beancurd recipes as they are mostly a favourite dish to my little one. Therefore, this beancurd recipe attracted my ears and eyes and moved me into trying.
The light in texture and flavourful 5 spice marinate minced chicken and beancurd wrapped in crispy lettuce simply brings out the most natural taste of the fresh ingredients. The tinch of aromatic sesame oil added to the dish arouse the senses, making it very appetising. This is a must try.
Stir-fried Mashed Beancurd with Minced Chicken Wrapped in Lettuce Recipe (Serves 3):
- 250 grams Beancurd/Tau Kwa (mashed)
- 200 grams Chicken Breast (minced and marinated)
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Oyster Sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon White Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Five Spice Powder
- 1 stalk Spring Onion for garnishing (chopped 4mm)
- 12 to 15 Lettuce Leaves (or more if desired)
AMC Healthy Cooking Method :
- Add beancurd into a 24cm Roasting Pan unit. Mash with a masher.
- Mince chicken breast with a knife and marinate with items 4 to 8 listed above.
- Preheat on Navigenio with heat level “6” up to 50°C or “Meat Window”. Use Audiotherm as an indicator by turning it on, place on lid knob/Visiotherm, indicating 50°C or “Meat Window”.
- When Audiotherm beeps indicating readiness for stir-frying, turn off Audiotherm and remove lid. Gently stir-fry beancurd for about 1 minute until liquid expelled dry up. Dish out the beancurd into the AMC 24cm Serving Dish and set aside.
- Turn down Navigenio heat to level “3”, add garlic to brown gently, followed by the marinated minced meat. Gently stir-fry. Add the stir-fried beancurd to the minced meat. Cover pan with lid.
- Switch on Navigenio to automatic “A”. Turn on Audiotherm, place on lid knob/Visiotherm on lid, indicating 80°C or “Carrot Window” and set 1 minute to cook.
- When Audiotherm beeps, turn off both Navigenio and Audiotherm. Garnish with spring onion and serve with fresh lettuce wrapping.
Tips :
- Mash the beancurd/Tau Kwa with the help of your curious child (if you have one) and rest assured they will be able to do a good job.
- I like to mince meat with a knife or an AMC Quick Cut instead of a food processor. A food processor tends to mince them too well. Unless you do not mind the former do a better job to achieve a minced but slightly chewable texture.
Indeed a very helpful little one with messing… oops, I meant mashing just anything. Here, she mashed the beancurd (tau kwa) for me whilst I am preparing the other ingredients.
Mince the chicken breasts with a knife to the desired texture.
Marinate the minced meat with soy sauce and back pepper in a bowl.
Add mashed beancurd (tau kwa) into an AMC 24cm Roasting Pan and gently stir-fry till dry.
Preheat Pan unit with mashed beancurd (tau kwa) on Navigenio heat level “6” up to 50°C or “Meat Window”.
Mashed beancurd (tau kwa) is ready when the excess liquid dried up. This takes about 1 to 2 minutes with lid removed upon reaching 50°C. Scoop out and set aside.
Turn down the Navigenio to heat level “3”. Add garlic to slightly brown, followed by the marinated minced meat.
Gently stir the minced meat.
Add the beancurd (tau kwa) set aside to the stir-fried minced meat and mix a little with a spoon.
Cover lid and cook automatically with Audiotherm set for 1 minute and Navigenio on “A” mode.
Tada….. Hakka Beancurd done and ready to be served.
Garnish with some spring onion.
and wrap with fresh lettuce to serve.
Trust me, the mixture of fresh lettuce with the stir-fried beancurd in the mouth makes the chewing so refreshing and it is what makes this dish special. Don’t do without them!