Sichuan Home-Style Braised Tofu

Doubanjiang part 2: jiachang doufu

This is the second part of my Chinese pantry talk on doubanjiang. If you missed the previous newsletter on everything you need to know about this condiment, be sure to catch up!

We can’t explore doubanjiang without delving into home-style flavor dishes, where this spicy fermented paste truly shines. One such dish is the classic Sichuan favorite, jiachang doufu, also known as home-style tofu, an easy, satisfying, and everyday dish. (scroll to the bottom for the vegetarian recipe).

What is home-style flavor?

Jiachang wei (家常味), translated as home-style flavor, isn’t just about any home-cooked meal. It’s one of the most popular and versatile flavor combinations in Sichuan cuisine, deeply rooted in home kitchen practices but also found in restaurants. This flavor profile is typically featured in stir-fried or braised dishes with a thick red sauce made with doubanjiang, soy sauce, salt, and aromatics. Some variations may also include pickled chilis, fermented black beans, and sweet flour sauce. These dishes are characterized by their savory, umami-rich, lightly spicy taste, sometimes with a hint of sweetness¹.

Reflecting on many dishes I grew up enjoying, such as braised ribs with potatoes and braised ducks with konjac jelly (similar to this), were based on this type of flavor and technique. The ingredients are fried and then braised in a broth enriched by doubanjiang and other condiments. In one old cookbook, you can find home-style dishes incorporating a myriad of ingredients, from pork, ribs, and ducks, to squid and green beans². Besides tofu, another intriguing dish is a vermicelli dish with pork mince, famously named "ants climbing a tree" (ma yi shang shu, 蚂蚁上树).

Home-style tofu

Revered as the second famous tofu dish in Sichuan (guess the first one?), home-style tofu (jiachang doufu, 家常豆腐) is widely popular in Sichuan. Shallow-frying tofu is one of the earliest cooking techniques recorded, dating back to the Song Dynasty. Recipes featuring fried tofu began to appear in the vegetarian cookbook during the late Qing dynasty³. By the early 20th century, a dish similar to its modern iteration emerged, incorporating doubanjiang, soy sauce, sugar, and additional ingredients such as bamboo shoots, ham, pork, and shiitake mushrooms⁴. 

While restaurants typically opt for deep-frying tofu to achieve a crispy exterior, most home versions go with shallow frying, using about 1-2 tablespoons of oil per tofu block. The goal is to develop a thin crisp on the tofu's exterior, allowing it to absorb flavors from the sauce while retaining a tender, moist interior. So I use medium-firm tofu and only lightly dry the water instead of pressing. I recently learned from a book focusing on Sichuan cooking techniques that adding starch water to short-time braised dishes helps the sauce cling better to the ingredients, resulting in a glossy, thick sauce with the shine of oil (from both the frying oil and doubanjiang).

Traditionally, home-style tofu includes pork belly slices, which I marked as optional to make it more vegetarian-friendly. If you want to use pork belly, thinly slice it and fry it before the doubanjiang. Scallion is to substitute garlic sprouts, which I have no luck in finding here in Berlin. I also tossed in a small bell pepper, veggies like broccoli, cabbage, boy choy, or green beans work great too! 

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The recipe

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 400g firm tofu

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 scallions or garlic sprouts

• 1 red bell pepper

• 1 tbsp spicy fermented bean paste (doubanjiang)

• 150 ml vegetable stock

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

• 1 tsp dark soy sauce

• 1 tsp sugar

• starch water (mix 1 tsp starch + 2 tbsp water)

• vegetable oil for frying

*Non-vegetarian option: about 100 g pork belly or pork mince

Instructions:

1. Remove the tofu from the package and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into slices approximately 1 cm thick and 5 cm wide. Let drain on paper towels while preparing other ingredients.

2. Mince the garlic. Separate the white and green parts of the scallions, then thinly slice the white part and cut the green part into approximately 4 cm long pieces. Remove the core and thinly slice the bell pepper.

3. In a deep pan or wok, heat oil over medium heat. Add the tofu slices, leaving space between them. Fry undisturbed for about 4-5 minutes per side until both sides are golden. If the pan is not large enough, fry in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside.

4. In the same pan over medium-low heat, add a bit more oil. Add the doubanjiang and fry until the red oil releases and becomes fragrant. Then add the garlic and white scallion parts, frying until fragrant. Add the bell pepper and fry for about 2-3 minutes until softened. Then add back the tofu.

5. Deglaze with stock and bring to a simmer. Season with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Let simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Once the sauce is reduced, add the green scallion parts and starch water. Mix until the tofu is coated in a thick, glossy sauce. Serve with steamed rice.

BTW most of my recipes come with a video, you can always find them on my Instagram and TikTok, say hi, stay connected or ask me a question about this dish!

1. The book Notes on Sichuan Cuisine ("川菜烹饪事典“, 1985) describes home-style dishes as glossy, red, umami, savory, slightly spicy, rich, and fragrant (“色泽红亮，咸鲜微辣，味浓鲜香”)

2. From the book Popular Sichuan recipes for Home Cooks (大众川菜, first published in 1979 )

3. Recipe from Notes on Vegetarianism (“素食说略” published around 1900): “一切四方块，入油锅炸头，搭黄起锅，名熊掌豆腐”

4. From the book Recipes from Yu (“俞氏空中烹饪”)