This mini kebabs has been in my To-Cook List for a long time, the chinese and Japanese have some dishes that mix minced fish or meat into tofu. It is not possible to get the right type of minced fish here in Switzerland, so when I saw this recipe in Harumi’s Japanese Cooking Cookbook, I know I have to try it one day and finally I got round to try it tonight. I have adapted Harumi’s marinade as I tried several of her recipes and I found her recipes taste a little on the light side (purely personal taste really). I also skipped the green beans which she has initially used in her recipe. I have also added corn flour which makes the pork and tofu hold together better.
All of us like these kebabs very much, although it was quite tricky to stick the tofu pork mix onto the skewers. I managed to cook them intact but I realised at this moment that there is a better way doing this (see notes below).
Make 15-16
Ingredients:
- 300g minced pork
- 300g soft/ silk tofu (1 block/ pack)
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander (can chop the stalks if not too thick)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
- 1 small onion ( finely chopped)
- Soak the wooden skewers in water for at least an hour or so before using
Seasonings for the marinade:
- 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- pinches of pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- pinches of garlic powder
- 1 tsp mirin
- 1 tbsp corn flour add to the pork & another 1 tbsp when mix with the tofu see Step 5!!!
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp cardadom powder
- 1 thumb size of grated ginger
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
Garnish/ serve with:
- Lemon/ lime wedges
- Iceberg lettuce
- Fresh coriander leaves
- Thai sweet chili sauce
Directions:
- Unpack the tofu, place it in a sieve and drain the excess liquid, leave for at least 45 mins.
- Marinate the minced pork with the above seasonings, keep in fridge.
- Finely chopped the onion, coriander and mint leaves, set aside.
- You can prepare Step 1-3 a few hours in advance. I like it this way as it make it less stressful to do everything in one go in the evening.
- 45 mins to 1 hour before dinner (if you have to prepare other dishes simultaneously), mix the tofu, onion, coriander and mint with the marinated pork througoutly with a wooden spoon or if you like, you can use your hand too. Add 1 tbsp corn flour to make the tofu pork bind even better together.
- Heat up a large frying pan with some cooking oil.
- Shape the tofu pork into sausage shape by hand and insert a wooden skewer into each piece. You will find these rather fragile and delicate. Try not to fiddle too much and quickly turn the skewer one by one to the pan and panfry them for 4 minutes and lightly brown before turning to the other side. It is easier to turn when they are cooked and become more solid.
- You can keep the cooked ones warm in the oven at 125ºC on the top rack lined with aluminium foil.
- Serve when all are cooked with Lemon wedges, coriander and Thai sweet chili sauce.
- Suggestion: you can wrap the kebabs with iceberg lettuce. I find it refreshing to eat like this.
Enjoy!
Notes:
- I should have panfried the sausage shaped kebabs first without inserting the skewers, and insert the skewers when they are fully cooked to avoid the delicate handling of the tofu pork mix.
- You can also leave out the skewers too but they look fancier with the skewers on and the kids find them more special and inviting.
