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Marinated Tofu with Shiitake Stuffing

Marinated tofu stuffed with sautéed shiitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and aromatics, then steamed or microwaved.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Sesame and shiitake match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 142 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓

Marinated Tofu with Shiitake Stuffing

Timefive minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the tofu

  1. If using silken tofu, drain for 2 to 3 hours by weighting it down with a plate. Cut each piece of tofu in half vertically to form four smaller blocks.

  2. Using a melon baller or soup spoon, scoop out the middle of each block, about 1½ inches deep by 1½ inches wide. Mince the scooped-out tofu and set aside.

Make the filling

  1. Heat the oils in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the garlic and ginger until soft.

  2. Add the chopped shiitakes, scallions, sherry, and the reserved chopped tofu to the skillet.

  3. Cook until dry and dark brown, about five minutes.

  4. Add sherry, tamari, fresh coriander, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.

  5. Cook another two to three minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.

Stuff and serve

  1. Put the mushroom mixture into a pastry bag and pipe it into the hollow of each tofu block. Alternatively, use a spoon to scoop the mixture into the hollows.

  2. Steam the stuffed tofu on a rack in a vegetable steamer for five minutes until hot, or microwave to heat through. Serve with tamari or regular soy sauce or miso vinaigrette.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

453Calories
13 gProtein
33 gFat
26 gCarbs

Counts 13 of 14 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Sesame1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Tofu100g firm76
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Shiitake1/2 cup (73g)34
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Coriandernot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Sesame + shiitaketop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together142 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  2. Tofu + sesametop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together250 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  3. Garlic + shiitaketop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together292 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Tofu + shiitaketop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together58 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  5. Ginger + sesametop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,531 recipes

    Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Tofu
Forms the edible shell and body of the dish, and its moisture is what the filling sits in.
Shiitake mushrooms
Supply savory, meaty flavor and, once cooked dry and browned, a concentrated umami taste.
Sherry
Adds acidity and aroma that balance the savory mushroom filling.
Tamari soy sauce
Adds salty, savory depth and helps the filling brown through its salt and sugars.
Garlic and ginger
Provide aromatic pungency that mellows as they soften in the hot oil.

The step that matters

Cook the filling until dry and dark brown. Cooking off the moisture from the mushrooms and tofu lets them brown through Maillard reactions, concentrating flavor. If the filling stays wet, it will be soggy and bland inside the tofu.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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