Fǔrǔ chǎo cài Vegetables in a bean curd sauce

腐乳炒菜Fǔrǔ chǎo cài   Fermented bean curd stir-fry

Traditionally Ung Choi/Morning Glory, a long stemmed water spinach is used in this recipe, but it works well with any robust green vegetable, e.g. broccoli, kale, gai laan (Chinese broccoli). 

The preserved bean curd (“fu yu” in Cantonese, Fǔrǔ in Mandarin ) gives the sauce a rich and savoury taste. It comes in jars and looks like little cubes of cheese suspended in a liquid. Try to get the “fu yu” with chilli for a slight kick.

Serves 2 as a side

1 tsp vegetable oil

200g kale/broccoli/ung choi

2 cloves garlic (more if you like)

2 – 3 cubes of preserved bean curd*

Cornflour mixture

½ cup water, ½ tsp cornflour, ½ tsp sugar

*cubes might vary according to brand - I use preserved bean curd that has cubes that are about 1 inch in size, so if yours are larger use less.

Heat wok/cast iron skillet on high. Add oil and garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds until garlic is fragrant but not browning. 

 Add the vegetables and toss well, make a space in the centre of the pan then add the preserved bean curd, mashing this up well with your cooking utensil, making sure the bean curd isn’t sticking to the pan. Stir fry the vegetables and bean curd for about 30 seconds, then add the cornflour mixture. The sauce should become thick and slightly creamy looking. 
 
Cook for 2 – 3 minutes until the vegetables are well coated and just cooked (al dente). Serve.