Yong Tau Foo (Stuffed Tofu and Vegetables) with homemade salmon fish paste and two different sauces – bean paste and clear soupy sauce.
Yong Tau Foo (Stuffed Tofu and Vegetables) is a specialty of the Hakka people in Malaysia. It is very popular especially among the Hakka and Cantonese peoples in the Klang Valley and Ipoh. The city district of Ampang in the eastern part of Kuala Lumpur is renown for restaurants that specializes in this delicious dish. In Ipoh, Yong Tau Foo is popularly used as a topping for noodles like this Curry Mee with Yong Tau Foo.
Ampang Yong Tau Foo
I grew up in Petaling Jaya, a suburb to the west of Kuala Lumpur. Ampang was quite a drive but that did not deter us from going there to enjoy Yong Tau Foo. Dad came from a large family and he would invite the entire clan to join us. There was one restaurant in particular that we liked to go to but there was always a queue there. Sometimes, we would have to settle for the next best restaurant whose fish paste has a mix of ground pork and some salted fish in it to distinguish itself from its competitor. Still, it was quite delicious but not nearly as popular.
Yong Tau Foo in PJ
As a young adult, I often ate at Taman Selera in PJ Old Town during lunch time as it was close to my workplace. Three of my favorite stalls there were the Hakka Yong Tau Foo, Clay Pot Noodles, and Clay Pot Chicken Rice. It’s been years since I last visited that place as my family now lives in Kuala Lumpur.
Two Different Sauces
A sauce that is often made at home to pour on top of Yong Tau Foo is bean paste sauce. The idea is to make the pieces of stuffed tofu and vegetables more flavorful to go with steamed rice. Bean paste sauce is rich and flavorful. Hence, there is no further need have a dipping sauce. Of course, there really are no rules and you can still have a dipping sauce if you so desire. 😉
Hakka Yong Tau Foo served at restaurants usually come with a clear soupy sauce as it is usually eaten without rice. Also, the pieces of stuffed tofu and vegetables look more crisp without it being smothered in a brown sauce. When served this way, it usually comes with dipping sauces consisting of a sweet brown sauce and a chili sauce.
Salmon Fish Paste
Typically, in Malaysia, the fish paste for Yong Tau Foo is made using ikan tenggiri (Spanish mackerel). There are three different types of ikan tenggiri – batang, bunga, and papan. Ikan tenggiri batang (Spanish trunk mackerel) is preferred because the flesh is softer and “gummier” to make the fish paste. Another popular fish used is ikan parang/sai toh yee (wolf herring).
Over here in the US, I have come across King Mackerel at the Asian market but not wolf herring. The most readily available meaty and oily fish here is salmon and so I use salmon fillets for my Yong Tau Foo with good results.
Of course the salmon fish paste is not as “gummy” but once the salmon meat is processed and cooked, it tastes just as delicious. Salmon flesh is oily and has a lot more water in it. Therefore, it helps to add a little cornstarch to absorb some of the oil and water. I do not add cornstarch when using Spanish mackerel.
You will want to gather up and throw the salmon meat repeatedly against the side of a large bowl until it sticks together and has a sheen. This also “toughens” up the meat and gives it a slightly “bouncy” texture.
The Tofu and Vegetables
There are many kinds of tofu and vegetables you can stuff for Yong Tau Foo. I use whatever I can buy and is available here – tofu, dried tofu skins, eggplant, red chilies, green peppers, bitter gourd/melon, and lotus root. Other popular choices include deep fried tofu, okra, green chilies, and braided long beans.
Similar Products Used in Making This Yong Tau Foo (Stuffed Tofu and Vegetables)
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Traditional Heavy Gauge Hand Hammered Carbon Steel Pow Wok (14 inch, round bottom)
Traditional Carbon Steel Wok, Hand Hammered (14 inch, round bottom)
Carbon Steel Hand Hammered 14 inch Flat Bottom Wok (Gauge – 1.2mm)
Carbon Steel Wok 12-inch, flat bottom
Traditional Hand Hammered Carbon Steel Pow Wok (12 inch, rRound bottom)
Yong Tau Foo (Stuffed Tofu and Vegetables)
Ingredients
- 1 bitter gourd/melon
- 2 small eggplant (or 1 big long Chinese eggplant)
- 6 red chilies
- 2 small green peppers
- 1 large section lotus root
- 1 packet extra firm tofu (1 lb/450g)
- 1 large sheet fuchok (dried tofu skin)
- Sufficient vegetable oil for deep frying
- 2 green onions (divided)
Salmon Fish Paste
- 2 lbs salmon (900g)
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 4 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp salt diluted in 2 tbsp water
Bean Paste Sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp fermented soy bean paste (minced)
- ¾ cup water (180ml)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp corn starch mixed with 2 tbsp water
Clear Soupy Sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 cups (480ml) chicken broth
- ½ tsp salt
- 1/8/ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp fish sauce
Instructions
Salmon Fish Paste
- Scrape salmon meat off the skin with a spoon.
- Chop fish meat with cleaver to break up the meat. Transfer the fish meat to a large bowl.
- Add half of the salt water and sprinkle ground pepper and corn starch over the chopped salmon meat.
- Stir with a spoon to get everything well mixed.
- Moistened your hands with remaining salt water. Gather up and throw the salmon meat back into the bowl repeatedly until it sticks together and have a nice sheen. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Transfer to the refrigerator and let the fish meat paste rest for 15 minutes.
Prepare the Vegetables and Tofu
- While salmon fish paste is resting in the refrigerator, prepare the vegetables.
- Cut bitter gourd/melon at a diagonal into 12 ½ inch thick slices. Using a paring knife, carefully cut away the center with the seeds. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt over the prepared bitter gourd/melon. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes to draw out the bitter juices. Then, rinse and drain.
- Cut each small eggplant into six ¾ inch thick slices with a slit in the middle. If you are using the long Chinese eggplant, cut the eggplant at a diagonal into twelve ¾ inch thick slices with a slit in the middle.
- Cut a slit in each red chili and carefully remove the seeds inside. Wear a pair of gloves if necessary.
- Cut the green peppers into quarters and carefully cut around each piece to remove the spongy core and seeds.
- Peel the outer skin off the lotus root with a vegetable peeler. Cut into twelve ¼ inch thick slices. Boil the lotus root with ½ teaspoon salt for 3 minutes. Remove, rinse, and drain.
- Remove tofu from packaging and transfer to a shallow bowl. Place several dishes on top of the tofu to press out the excess water. Drain and cut the block of tofu into quarters. Then, cut each quarter diagonal into 2 pieces. Using a teaspoon, carefully scoop out an indentation on the side where the piece of tofu was cut diagonally.
- Cut fuchok (tofu skin) into 12 pieces of 7” x 3½” each. Wipe with a damp cloth to moisten and soften the fuchok.
Stuff the Vegetables and Tofu
- Stuff the middle of the each slice of bitter gourd/melon with the prepared fish paste. Smoothen the front and back with your finger so that the fish paste sticks to the slice of bitter gourd/melon neatly.
- For the eggplant, fill the slit with some fish paste. Press down to sandwich the fish paste and run your finger along the edge to smoothen the fish paste.
- Fill the red chili cavities with fish paste and smoothen the fish paste near the slit with your finger.
- For the green pepper, fill the cavity with fish paste. Then, smoothen the top of the fish paste with your finger.
- Place some fish paste on a slice of prepared lotus root. Then, sandwich with another slice of lotus root.
- Fill the indentation of each piece of prepared tofu with fish paste and smoothen the top.
- Place a little strip of fish paste along the short side of a slice of fuchok (tofu skin). Then, roll neatly into a log.
Fry the Yong Tau Foo
- Heat sufficient oil in a wok or deep fry pan over medium flame. Add a few pieces of prepared Yong Tau Foo and let it fry for 4 to 5 minutes until lightly brown. Flip them over and continue to fry for another 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and place in a metal strainer to drain off excess oil.
- Repeat until every piece of yong tau foo is fried.
- Arrange pieces of fried Yong Tau Foo on a large platter.
Bean Paste Sauce
- Heat vegetable oil in a small wok or sauce pan. Add garlic and stir fry for 20 seconds. Add bean paste and continue to stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in water and let the sauce come to a boil. Add sugar and cornstarch mixture.
- Allow sauce to thicken for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off stove and immediately pour sauce over fried Yong Tau Foo.
- Sprinkle green onions over the top and serve immediately.
Clear Soupy Sauce
- Heat vegetable oil in a small sauce pan. Add garlic and stir fry for 20 seconds. Pour in chicken broth. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Season with salt, ground pepper, and fish sauce.
- Allow it to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off stove and immediately pour sauce over fried Yong Tau Foo.
- Sprinkle green onions over the top and serve immediately.
I can eat this every day, no kidding. I enjoy it that much. It does require a bit of work but it is well worth the effort. The recipe above is sufficient for you to try both kinds of sauces. I hope you will give it a try.
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