Spinal Cord
Spinal cord stew with tofu is a savory home-style dish. The rich spinal cord pairs with silky tofu in a flavorful broth, warming and comforting.
Ingredients
14 items- Pork spinal cord 200 g
- Soft tofu 300 g
- Ginger 3 slices
- Garlic 3 cloves
- Dried chilies 2
- Broth or water 400 ml
- Light soy sauce 1 tbsp
- Dark soy sauce 1/2 tsp
- White sugar 1/2 tsp
- White pepper powder a pinch
- Cooking wine 2 tbsp
- Cornstarch slurry 2 tbsp
- Sesame oil 1 tsp
- Scallions 2
Nutrition
Steps （8 steps）
Cut 200 g pork spinal cord into sections. Place in cold water with ginger slices and cooking wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim foam, blanch for 2 min until color changes. Drain.
Cut 300 g soft tofu into 2 cm cubes. Soak in lightly salted water for 10 min to firm up. Drain.
Heat the pot over medium heat, add 2 tbsp oil. Add ginger slices, garlic slices, and dried chilies. Sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the blanched spinal cord. Stir-fry on medium heat for 1 min until edges slightly yellow. Splash in 1 tbsp cooking wine along the side, stir to remove odor.
Add 400 ml broth or water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low-medium heat, cover and simmer for 10 min until spinal cord is tender and broth becomes milky.
Add tofu cubes, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper. Gently push with a spatula to mix. Continue simmering on medium-low heat for 8 min to allow tofu to absorb flavors.
When liquid is reduced by half, pour in cornstarch slurry to thicken. Turn to high heat to reduce further, shaking the pot occasionally, about 1 min until sauce coats the back of a spoon.
Turn off heat. Add scallion sections and sesame oil, mix well. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with chopped scallions or cilantro.
Tips
Blanching spinal cord with ginger and cooking wine effectively removes gamey taste. Soaking tofu in salted water keeps it tender and prevents breaking. When reducing, keep shaking the pot to avoid sticking. Adding sesame oil enhances the aroma.
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