Chafing Dish Tofu

Chafing Dish Tofu

(tie ban dou fu) Bubbling away on your table, chafing dishes like this one from Taiwan, are always fun to eat.

Ingredients
250 g (9 oz) extra firm tofu
80 g (3 oz) preserved pork belly, sliced thinly (bacon is a good substitute)
4 leek stems, cut into 3 cm lengths
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, cut into chunks
1 large chilli pepper, sliced diagonally into 3 or 4 pieces
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Taiwan rice wine
1/2 teaspoon of white sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot bean paste
Pepper, dash
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

Method

1. Spread the leeks and mushrooms in the chafing dish.
2. Cut tofu into slices about 2 cm (3/4") thick, Add oil to non-stick pan, and brown the tofu slightly on a low to medium heat. Remove to the chafing dish.
3. Fry the pork in a wok with a little oil at a medium heat until fragrant and slightly crisp. Remove and sprinkle over tofu.
4. Add chilli to chafing dish.
5. Except for the sesame oil, add the sauce ingredients to the wok. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Add sesame oil, and pour sauce over other ingredients in chafing dish.
6. Light chafing dish burner, and serve. Eat as soon as the sauce starts to bubble. Turn off the burner after a few minutes to avoid overcooking.

Notes:
Taiwan rice wine is quite different than the 'yellow' or Shaoxing wine in China. Mirin is the best substitute. For this dish, however, so little wine is used that you will not go too far wrong with any type of rice wine.