Three Cup Tofu – The Foodie Takes Flight

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This Taiwanese three 3 cup tofu is packed in a savory, sticky and slightly sweet sauce with fragrant ginger, garlic and fresh basil leaves.

What is 3 cups (three cups)?

Three Cups or Sun Bei (三杯) is composed of three main ingredients: sesame oil, soy sauce and cooking wine. It doesn’t need 3 cups of each but usually equal parts of each are used.

The sauce is deliciously savory and slightly sweet which goes perfectly with the rice. The sauce goes very well with a variety of dishes and for this version, it is cooked with chunks of tofu. Fresh Thai basil gives this dish more flavor and texture.

3 cups of tofu are the main ingredients in this recipe

sesame oil
Garlic and ginger – Frying them in sesame oil gives out so much flavor that compliments the sesame oil and soy sauce.
I am Willow – It definitely gives this dish that delicious savory taste and saltiness.
Cooking wine – I use Chinese Shaoxing wine. You can use Michiu wine. Adding it adds a layer of depth and savory notes to the dish.
mint – I use Thai basil and it is the best option if you are able to source some, but you can also use sweet basil. Adding basil to a stir-fry adds so much flavor to a dish.

On the left – regular soy sauce, on the right – dark mushroom soy sauce

What you will need

tofu

to cover

for frying

fry up

3 tablespoons fried or dark sesame oil
6 thinly sliced ginger
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 scallion chopped – green and white parts separated
3 tablespoons light or regular soy sauce
3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or Michiu wine (see note)
1-2 tsp brown sugar adjust to taste
1/4 cup water
2 dried chilies or red chilies optional for heat
A handful of fresh basil leaves, leaves removed from the stems

to serve

Cook this three cup tofu recipe

What to do:

Prepare the tofu

I freeze my blocks of extra firm tofu. I simply froze it in its package. So no need to pour water. The water inside the tofu will expand as it collects and form these layers which will give the tofu a ‘meatier’ texture.
To prepare the tofu, be sure to thaw your tofu completely the day before you plan to use it. Squeeze out as much water as possible from the tofu. It’s a sponge at this point so you’ll want to squeeze out all the water so it can absorb the seasonings.
Carefully cut the tofu into large pieces. You can cut it too. Be very careful with the tofu as it is very fragile at this point.
Once the tofu is shredded, season with soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper. Toss to coat well. Leave to marinate for 10-15 minutes.

to cover

Meanwhile, prepare the coating. In a large bowl, mix together the cornstarch, garlic powder, and pepper.
Add each piece of tofu to the cornstarch mixture. Coat each piece well. If you need more cornstarch, you can add more as needed.

Cook the tofu

In a wok or non-stick pan, heat some cooking oil. If you want to deep fry the tofu, add enough oil to submerge 3/4 of the tofu. You can shallow fry the tofu in a non-stick pan in less oil – but it will take longer.
Heat oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot (you can test it with a small piece – it should sizzle immediately), add the tofu. Cook the tofu for 2-3 minutes on each side or until lightly golden and crisp. Transfer tofu to a metal strainer with a catch basin to drain excess oil or place on a cooling rack.
You remove the oil from the pan/wok and use it for stir-frying.

Fried extra firm tofu coated in cornstarch

stir-fry

Heat the same wok or pan over medium-high heat. Add in sesame oil.
Once hot, stir in the ginger, garlic and scallion whites. Fry for 2 minutes until the scallions start to brown on the edges.
Add soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar and water. Leave to boil for about 2-3 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken from the sugar. Add dry chilies (if using).
Add the fried tofu and then coat in the sauce. The sauce will thicken to coat the tofu.
Add basil leaves. Toss to cook the basil. Turn off the flame.