Pi-Pa bean curd à la Hong Kong

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 200g tofu
• 2 g instant chicken broth
• 3 shiitake mushrooms, dried
• 2 tbsp mushroom powder (shiitake mushroom flour) from dried mushrooms
• 20 g carrot(s) cut into julienne
• 2 tbsp celery leaves, fresh or frozen
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp wheat flour
• 2 pinches of nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 pinch(s) black pepper, freshly ground
• 20 g cucumber(s) (spicy cucumber pieces ala Hong Kong – see my recipes)
• 2 shiitake mushrooms
• 150 g water for soaking
• ½ tsp instant chicken broth
• 1 m.-large tomato(s), fully ripe
• 20 g carrot(s), grated
• 1 spring onion(s)
• 2 small onions, red
• 2 garlic cloves, fresh
• 2 green snake beans
• 20 g pepper, red
• 6 g fresh ginger, cut into silk threads
• 40 g ham, diced
• 20 g pineapple, peeled or from the can
• 2 tbsp celery leaves, fresh or frozen
• 40 tbsp peanut oil, alternatively palm oil
• 1 tbsp tapioca flour or cornstarch
• 1 tbsp instant cream of mushroom soup powder
• 80 g liquid (mushroom soaking water)
• 1 tbsp sugar, white
• 1 tsp instant chicken broth
• 2 tbsp rice wine (Arak Masak)
• 1 tbsp tamarind syrup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, light
• 150 g guava juice, alternatively orange juice
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 pinch(s) nutmeg
• 1 pinch(s) black pepper, freshly ground
• 3 tbsp sauce (sweet and sour sauce, Thai style No. 3 – see my recipes)
• n. B. Sambal banjar basic recipe (see my recipes)
• e.g. instant chicken broth
• n. B. Black pepper, freshly ground
• n. B. Honey, lighter
• 80 g pineapple pieces
• n. B. soybean seedlings
• n. B. Coriander leaves
• n. B. flowers and leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 55 minutes

Named after the Chinese musical instrument pi-pa because of the shape of the tofu pieces. Recipe from Lombok, Indonesia

Heat 150g of water, dissolve the chicken broth (for the sauce garnish), pour it over all the dried shiitake mushrooms, and let it soak for 30 minutes. Squeeze out the soaking water and set it aside along with the soaking water. Cut the mushroom caps for the pi-pa pieces into small cubes, and cut the ones for the sauce garnish into strips. Discard the stems. Wash the carrot, trim both ends, and peel. Using a julienne grater, slice 20g of the carrot into short silk threads. Salt these and squeeze out the salt water after 30 minutes. Coarsely grate the rest of the carrot and use it for the sauce garnish. Rinse the tofu, pat dry, strain through a sieve, and discard any remaining ingredients. Now mix the ingredients for the pi-pa pieces—from chicken broth to baking powder—into the tofu. Finally, mix in 3 tablespoons of oil from the frying oil. Cover the tofu mixture and refrigerate for one hour to mature. Place the spicy Hong Kong-style cucumber pieces in a sieve, drain well, and reserve 20g of it. Peel and deseed the tomatoes. Halve the tomato quarters crosswise. Wash the spring onions and remove any brown or wilted leaves. Slice the green parts into thin rings and reserve separately. Cut the white parts diagonally into 1cm-wide slices. Trim both ends of the small red onions and the garlic cloves, peel, and roughly chop. Wash the runner beans, trim both ends, and cut into diagonal, approximately 2cm-wide slices, blanch, and set aside. Wash the red chili peppers, cut diagonally into approximately 1cm-wide strips, leaving the seeds and discarding the stems. Wash the fresh ginger, peel a 1cm-long piece, and cut into thin slices. Chop these into silk threads. Cut the ham into approximately 8 x 8 mm pieces. Cut the fresh, peeled pineapple into bite-sized pieces and drain the canned pineapple thoroughly. Wash the fresh celery leaves and roughly chop them. Defrost frozen pineapple. Prepare the sauce: Mix the tapioca flour with the cream of mushroom soup powder and 4 tablespoons of mushroom soaking water. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring the sauce to a boil briefly so the tapioca flour can thicken, then add the remaining mushroom soaking water. Season to taste. Heat a wok, add the frying oil, and heat to 190 degrees Celsius. Dip 4 Chinese soup spoons into the warmed (but not yet hot) frying oil, drain well, and fill with the aged bean curd mixture. When the frying oil is hot enough, use a teaspoon to drop the bean curd mixture into the frying oil. Fry the pi-pa-shaped pieces until golden brown on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat this process until all the tofu is used up. Keep the pi pa pieces warm on a serving plate. Drain the oil from the wok, wipe it with kitchen paper, and heat until it begins to smoke. Pour in the peanut oil from the sides and let it heat up. Roast the ham cubes until fragrant. Add the carrots and 20g of the pineapple pieces and roast them. After one minute each, add the spicy cucumber pieces, the tomatoes, the peppers, the white spring onion pieces, and the snake bean pieces. After 2 minutes, it’s the mushrooms’ turn. Add the small red onions, the garlic, and the ginger and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat. Deglaze the roasted ingredients with the sauce, mix well, and season to taste. Then bring to a boil briefly. Now add half of the green onion rings and the celery leaves and stir in. Use the rest for garnishing. Distribute on warm serving plates over the Pi-Pa pieces, garnish, and serve.