Recipe - Basic Stir-Fried Bean Curd

4 Cakes bean curd
1 Scallion stalk
3 (up to)
4 tablespoon 0il
One fourth teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoon Soy sauce
One fourth teaspoon Salt

1. Cut each bean curd cake in 6 to 8 pieces or in 1inch cubes. Cut
scallion stalk in 1inch sections.

2. Heat oil. Add salt; then scallion, and stirfry a few times until
translucent. Add bean curd; stirfry gently until heated through (2 to 3
minutes).

3. Sprinkle with soy sauce and remaining salt and stir in gently.

NOTE: Since bean curd is fragile, vigorous stirfrying will demolish it.
Therefore shake or tilt the pan from time to time to baste the bean curd
with hot oil; or else separately turn the pieces so they can heat through
evenly. VARIATIONS:

1. For the soy sauce, substitute oyster sauce.

2. Use 4 or 5 whole scallions, cut in 1inch lengths.

3. Before serving, sprinkle bean curd with a few drops of sesame oil; or
garnish with minced raw scallion.

4. With Chinese sausage: Steam 4 Chinese sausages 15 minutes; then slice
thin. Add to heated oil in step 2 and brown lightly; then stirfry scallion
and bean curd.

5. With mushrooms (fresh): In step 2, add after the scallion, One fourth pound
fresh mushrooms, cut or sliced up , and stirfry until slightly softened. Then add the
bean curd and continue as in steps 2 and 3.

6. With mushrooms (dried): After step 2, add 10 dried black mushrooms
(soaked), cut or sliced up , the soy sauce and One half teaspoon sugar. Then gently stir in
One half cup of the mushroomsoaking liquid or stock. Bring to a boil and
simmer, covered, 5 minutes over medium heat.

7. With roast pork: In step 2, add after the scallion, One fourth cup roast pork,
cut or sliced up or minced , and stirfry a few times. Then add the bean curd and
continue as in steps 2 and 3.

8. With shrimp: In step 2, add after the scallion One fourth cup raw shrimp,
shelled, deveined and cut in 1inch pieces; stirfry until pinkish. Then
add bean curd and continue as in steps 2 and 3.

From The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook, ISBN 0517658704. Downloaded
from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, http://www.erols.com/hosey.