An inspiration can come from many things. Sometimes, it can come from the shapes and looks of an object. Sometimes, it can just come from something you eat outside and really enjoy.
Phoenix Inn's Mixed Seafood on Tofu
This dish was inspired by something we had before: Mixed Seafood on Tofu from Phoenix Inn. It's very easy to make, and tastes great! So...we made it at home:
Our Homecooked version of the same dish
A slight boo-boo was made during our process of making the dish though. Actually, there was 2. The first was that there was no egg tofu available at the market, so we had to use regular tofu. The second was that we accidentally added black vinegar instead of soy sauce, but it didn't effect the dish at all! It was nice having a slight vinegary flavor. You pick between soy sauce or vinegar. Or, you can just use some stock for the sauce like what Phoenix Inn probably did.
The end result is a great combo of many different flavors of the seafood as well as a nice sweetness from the peas. It's great to scoop on rice and mix and eat!
UPDATE: We made this dish again, and used a splash of soy sauce instead of vinegar. The color that ends up should be fairly clear and not brown like the image which used vinegar. And the taste was very much like Phoenix Inn's Mixed Seafood On Tofu. So there :). A very exact replica!
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Mixed Seafood on Tofu
Inspired by Phoenix Inn's Mixed Seafood On Tofu (my review click here)
Ingredients needed:
Frozen Peas
Shrimp (preferably fresh with no head...and if you don't want to shell them, get them shelled. About 6-7 good sized shrimp are good for the dish)
Scallops (4 jumbo size is enough)
5 shitake mushrooms
A block of tofu (soft), or a package of egg tofu
Soy Sauce, or black vinegar
Cornstarch
Oil
Special equipment? Steamer.
1. Prep the ingredients. Cube the shrimp and scallops, and then put some cornstarch ( one teaspoon is plenty) on them and salt and pepper it and put it in a bowl. Take frozen peas out from the freezer, and use about a quarter of a cup, and defrost (or if you choose to, not). Cube the shitake mushrooms, and place them aside. Also, cut the tofu into cubes, or if you have egg tofu, into about one inch circles.
2. Place the tofu into a plate, if you haven't already. If you have egg tofu, place the circles all over the dish, and if you have regular tofu, just put the entire block onto the plate after you cubed the tofu)
3. Get the steamer ready! For those who don't want to buy a special steamer (we don't), use a thick frypan, a small wire rack to place the plate of tofu on, and then put a cup of water into the bottom of the frypan, and put the lid on and close.
4. After the water has heated a bit and some steam is forming on the lid, put the tofu in. Here's how it should look. Steam the tofu for about 10 minutes. You can also put the tofu in when the water hasn't heated up yet too.
5. Time to cook all the ingredients! First, cook the shrimp and scallops with some oil, but do not cook them well done. About 50 percent done is just about right.
6. Take the shrimp and scallops out, and then start to cook the mushrooms with the frozen peas with some oil. After the mushrooms start to sweat out, place the shrimp and scallops back in.
7. After you have steamed the tofu, there should be some liquid- sometimes a lot of it too! Don't waste the liquid, and put all of the liquid in to the pan with the shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, and frozen peas. Set the plate of tofu aside.
8. Time to flavor the shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, frozen peas, and the tofu liquid mixture. Add two hefty dashes of soy sauce or vinegar into the pan, and swish everything around. If you don't like soy sauce or vinegar, you can also use chicken bullion.
9. Make a slurry mixture with about a tablespoon of cornstarch and some water, and place that into the pan, and cook for about another 2 minutes. The sauce should get glossy looking.
10. Place the whole mixture of the shrimp, scallops, mushroom, and peas onto the tofu, and then serve immediately and enjoy!
Phoenix Inn's Mixed Seafood on Tofu
Our Homecooked version of the same dish
The end result is a great combo of many different flavors of the seafood as well as a nice sweetness from the peas. It's great to scoop on rice and mix and eat!
UPDATE: We made this dish again, and used a splash of soy sauce instead of vinegar. The color that ends up should be fairly clear and not brown like the image which used vinegar. And the taste was very much like Phoenix Inn's Mixed Seafood On Tofu. So there :). A very exact replica!
---
Mixed Seafood on Tofu
Inspired by Phoenix Inn's Mixed Seafood On Tofu (my review click here)
Ingredients needed:
Frozen Peas
Shrimp (preferably fresh with no head...and if you don't want to shell them, get them shelled. About 6-7 good sized shrimp are good for the dish)
Scallops (4 jumbo size is enough)
5 shitake mushrooms
A block of tofu (soft), or a package of egg tofu
Soy Sauce, or black vinegar
Cornstarch
Oil
Special equipment? Steamer.
1. Prep the ingredients. Cube the shrimp and scallops, and then put some cornstarch ( one teaspoon is plenty) on them and salt and pepper it and put it in a bowl. Take frozen peas out from the freezer, and use about a quarter of a cup, and defrost (or if you choose to, not). Cube the shitake mushrooms, and place them aside. Also, cut the tofu into cubes, or if you have egg tofu, into about one inch circles.
2. Place the tofu into a plate, if you haven't already. If you have egg tofu, place the circles all over the dish, and if you have regular tofu, just put the entire block onto the plate after you cubed the tofu)
3. Get the steamer ready! For those who don't want to buy a special steamer (we don't), use a thick frypan, a small wire rack to place the plate of tofu on, and then put a cup of water into the bottom of the frypan, and put the lid on and close.
4. After the water has heated a bit and some steam is forming on the lid, put the tofu in. Here's how it should look. Steam the tofu for about 10 minutes. You can also put the tofu in when the water hasn't heated up yet too.
5. Time to cook all the ingredients! First, cook the shrimp and scallops with some oil, but do not cook them well done. About 50 percent done is just about right.
6. Take the shrimp and scallops out, and then start to cook the mushrooms with the frozen peas with some oil. After the mushrooms start to sweat out, place the shrimp and scallops back in.
7. After you have steamed the tofu, there should be some liquid- sometimes a lot of it too! Don't waste the liquid, and put all of the liquid in to the pan with the shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, and frozen peas. Set the plate of tofu aside.
8. Time to flavor the shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, frozen peas, and the tofu liquid mixture. Add two hefty dashes of soy sauce or vinegar into the pan, and swish everything around. If you don't like soy sauce or vinegar, you can also use chicken bullion.
9. Make a slurry mixture with about a tablespoon of cornstarch and some water, and place that into the pan, and cook for about another 2 minutes. The sauce should get glossy looking.
10. Place the whole mixture of the shrimp, scallops, mushroom, and peas onto the tofu, and then serve immediately and enjoy!
Comments
Thanks! Yeah, sometimes mistakes can give you more satisfaction than if there was no problem! After all, some things that are popular now were created by mistakes. :)