Have stuffing already prepared and soak yuba sheets.
Cut 1-pound blocks of tofu into fourths, cutting across the width of the block. (some Chinese firm tofu comes already cut like this, with four slices per container) Mix soy sauce and water in an oblong cake pan and set tofu blocksin the soy sauce to soakfor a few minutes on each side. (The tofu won’t all fit in the cake pan at once, but you can just put a new slice in as you remove one to stuff.) Now set up an assembly line of sorts with the tofu, stuffing, yuba sheets, steamer racks, and the melted butter or marg. Then, with each ppiece of tofu, assemble going down the line.
1. Make a pocket in the tofu by gently (so it doesn’t squash) holding a block in one hand and inserting a sharp knife into one of the thin ends. Then make a slit, leaving about ½ “ uncut on 2 sides and the bottom edges.
2. Stuff a few spoonfuls of stuffing into the pocket, being careful not to tear the sides of the tofu pocket. Wrap with a soaked yuba sheet like wrapping a gift box. Place in a steamer rack. When the entire steamer rack is full of stuffed tofus, place over boiling water and steam for about 10 mins. Now remove from steamer, dip each piece in soy sauce and place on an oiled cookie sheet. Paint a light coating of marg or butter over each piece with a basting brush.
3. Bake at 350 degrees till yuba begins to crisp and turn a golden brown-about 15-20mins. (you may baste a few more times during this period)
yield: 5 servings , allowing 2 pieces per person
Note 1: if you’re in a hurry, skip the steaming process and just bake the stuffed wrapped tofu pieces at 425-450 degrees till yuba crisps and turns a golden brown, being sure to baste 3 or 4 times during this process.
Note 2: Can be prepared a few days ahead of time, up to the point of steaming. After steaming, cool, cover and refrigerate. Then just finish baking to a crisp and brown it. Tofu keeps longer after it’s been cooked.
