Tofu Scallop

My mom is a great cook. If you haven't tried her dumplings, you're really missing out. Before she met my dad, she took cooking classes with this great chef. She had recipe books in Hong Kong. The chef liked my mom so much that she gave her an opportunity to travel with her as an assistant or "sous chef" around the world. My mom declined the offer. She was still finishing school.


My mom doesn't follow recipes. I guess she has a trained tongue, so she can just put a dash of this and a dash of that. Being a late bloomer in the kitchen, I am only learning now. Most of the time I just call up my mom and ask for her advice. Although a great cook, she always cooks with the same ingredients. So when Kev asked if I knew how to make my mom's tofu scallop dish, I couldn't exactly say no. I'll admit, I didn't quite know how to, but I had an idea. This is my second time cooking with Tofu. The first time I stir-fried it with bean sprouts and I ended up with bean sprouts and tofu brain. With this recipe, I do not have measurement. I cooked with "my tongue", tasting it as I went along.

• Tofu, any texture. I used semi-firm.
• Fresh or frozen scallops
• Vegetables, I used red peppers, in strips
• green onions/shallots, chopped
• garlic, minced
• Olive Oil
• Soy sauce, I used Lee Kum Kee Seasoned Soy Sauce for Seafood (available at Asian Markets)
• Sugar
• Sesame Oil
• garlic salt
• black pepper
• Ginger powder
• corn starch
  

1. Boil Tofu in water, use a sieve to scoop the tofu out of the water and put aside on the serving dish.
2. On medium-high, heat olive oil and add minced garlic. Cook until fragrant.
3. Cook Scallops with the juices (if Fresh scallops, just add a bit of water). Add green onions/shallots. Add vegetables. Cook a few minutes, scallops don't take long to cook.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients...Soy sauces vary in saltiness, add sugar if it's too salty. Use a dash of everything else. Taste often and you can adjust to the taste you like.
5. Scoop out the food on top of the tofu, leaving the sauce in the skillet. Add about 2 Tbsp of water to 1 tsp of corn starch to thicken the sauce. You can use other thickeners. Pour sauce on top of everything.
6. Serve over steamed rice.

I know this isn't exactly easy to make without measurements, but it was hard to keep track of how much I was putting into it. Kev put his stamp of approval on this first-time dish. It's not quite like Mama, but I'm glad Kev liked it. He kept going back for more.

I apologize for the pic, I couldn't get a pic of the dish right after cooking. We were so hungry that we just dug in. This picture is actually what was leftover for my lunch. Hehe