Stuffed egg tofu with shrimp is a Hakka Chinese-inspired dish typically made with regular tofu. This nutritious and delicious steamed dish is made of sliced tofu topped with a shrimp mixture and a savory sauce. Sometimes in the regular tofu version, the tofu on the top is scooped out to make room for more topping.
This dish isn't really popular at Chinese restaurants, but this egg tofu version was a staple in our home. My mom made this for me regularly when I was younger, and I remember being wowed by the presentation and finishing almost the whole plate by myself!
What is egg tofu?
Egg tofu is made from water, eggs, and soybeans. It has a similar texture to silken tofu, but is less fragile! You can steam it, fry it, or braise it like regular tofu.
At the grocery store, it's typically in the refrigerated section next to the regular tofu. Egg tofu also usually comes in a tube-shaped package.
If it’s not easily accessible in your region, you can definitely make this dish with regular, firm tofu. I wouldn’t recommend using soft tofu for this as it’s more fragile than firm tofu and egg tofu.
What ingredients are used in stuffed egg tofu with shrimp?
egg tofu
Egg tofu gives this dish a hearty, eggy flavor, and silky texture, but it can easily be swapped out for soft or firm tofu.
shrimp
You can use any-sized shrimp, as it will get chopped up anyway. If you don't like or can't have shrimp, any other ground meat would work well here.
for the shrimp
To marinade the shrimp, you'll need Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine), salt, white pepper, minced ginger, sesame oil, scallions, and some cornstarch to bind the mixture together. Water chestnuts are optional, but I like the extra crisp texture it adds to the shrimp filling!
for the sauce
The savory sauce is made of water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, a small pinch each of sugar and white pepper, sesame oil, and cornstarch to thicken.
How to get the best texture on the shrimp filling
To get the bounciest shrimp filling texture, mix it vigorously in a small bowl (it’s an arm workout) for at least 3-5 minutes. You can also use a food processor instead. You can tell that it's mixed enough when the shrimp starts to get really sticky!
How to make stuffed egg tofu with shrimp in a few easy steps
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients and shrimp mixture
- Prepare the aromatics: ginger, scallions, and water chestnuts if using
- Peel and devein the shrimp if needed. Mince the shrimp into a paste with a knife or food processor
- To the shrimp paste, add Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing), cornstarch, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper
- Mix vigorously for 3-5 minutes or until bouncy and sticky. You can also use a food processor for this step instead
- Add the minced ginger, sliced scallions (whites), and minced water chestnuts if using. Mix well
Step 2: Assemble the egg tofu and shrimp mixture
- Slice off the uneven ends of the egg tofu, then slice into 8 even slices.
- Top egg tofu slices with the shrimp mixture. You can also carve out little pockets in the tofu for the shrimp if you’d like, but I don't find that it's necessary!
Step 3: Steam the egg tofu and shrimp & make the sauce
- Steam for 9-10 minutes or until shrimp reaches 165F
- In a separate pan, cook the sauce ingredients over medium heat for 2 min or until it’s thickened slightly
- After it’s done steaming, pour out any excess liquid from the plate (carefully!) and top it with the sauce. Garnish with the green parts of scallions and enjoy!
Check out my other popular steamed dishes:
- Chinese steamed eggs with shrimp
- Cantonese steamed chicken and mushrooms
- Cantonese steamed chicken and mushrooms
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Stuffed Egg Tofu with Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 package egg tofu 8.5 oz (you can also use regular tofu and cut into blocks)
- 4 oz shrimp (~6 large shrimp)
- 1 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1/16 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 stalks of scallions
- 2 tablespoon minced water chestnuts optional
sauce:
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- tiny pinch sugar
- tiny pinch white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- Prep your aromatics: mince 1 tablespoon of ginger, thinly slice 2 scallions (separate the white and green parts), and mince the water chestnuts if using.1 tablespoon minced ginger, 2 stalks of scallions, 2 tablespoon minced water chestnuts
Make the shrimp mixture
- Peel and devein the shrimp if needed. Mince the shrimp into a paste with a knife or food processor.4 oz shrimp
- In a small bowl, add the shrimp paste, Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing), cornstarch, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper. Mix vigorously for 3-5 minutes or until bouncy and sticky. You can also use a food processor for this step instead.1 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine, ½ teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 1/16 teaspoon white pepper
- Add the minced ginger, sliced scallions (whites), and minced water chestnuts if using. Mix well.
Assemble the egg tofu with shrimp
- Prepare egg tofu by slicing off the uneven ends, then slice into 8 even slices.1 package egg tofu
- Spread the slices out on a plate and top with ~1 tablespoon of the shrimp mixture. You can also carve out little pockets in the tofu for the shrimp if you’d like, but I don't find that it's necessary.
Steam the egg tofu with shrimp & make the sauce
- Steam for 9-10 minutes or until shrimp reaches 165F. While it steams, mix together all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, then cook over medium heat in a separate pan for 2 min or until it’s thickened slightly.½ cup water, ½ teaspoon soy sauce, ¼ teaspoon oyster sauce, ½ teaspoon cornstarch, tiny pinch sugar, tiny pinch white pepper, ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- After it’s done steaming, remove carefully, then pour out any excess liquid from the plate (carefully!) and top it with the sauce. Garnish with the green parts of scallions and enjoy!
