stuffed egg tofu with shrimp

Stuffed egg tofu with shrimp is a Hakka Chinese-inspired dish typically made with regular tofu. This nutritious and delicious steamed dish is made of sliced tofu topped with a shrimp mixture and a savory sauce. Sometimes in the regular tofu version, the tofu on the top is scooped out to make room for more topping.

This dish isn’t really popular at Chinese restaurants, but this egg tofu version was a staple in our home. My mom made this for me regularly when I was younger, and I remember being wowed by the presentation and finishing almost the whole plate by myself!

What is egg tofu?

Egg tofu is made from water, eggs, and soybeans. It has a similar texture to silken tofu, but is less fragile! You can steam it, fry it, or braise it like regular tofu.

At the grocery store, it’s typically in the refrigerated section next to the regular tofu. Egg tofu also usually comes in a tube-shaped package.

If it’s not easily accessible in your region, you can definitely make this dish with regular, firm tofu. I wouldn’t recommend using soft tofu for this as it’s more fragile than firm tofu and egg tofu.

What ingredients are used in stuffed egg tofu with shrimp?

egg tofu

Egg tofu gives this dish a hearty, eggy flavor, and silky texture, but it can easily be swapped out for soft or firm tofu.

shrimp

You can use any-sized shrimp, as it will get chopped up anyway. If you don’t like or can’t have shrimp, any other ground meat would work well here.

for the shrimp

To marinade the shrimp, you’ll need Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine), salt, white pepper, minced ginger, sesame oil, scallions, and some cornstarch to bind the mixture together. Water chestnuts are optional, but I like the extra crisp texture it adds to the shrimp filling!

for the sauce

The savory sauce is made of water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, a small pinch each of sugar and white pepper, sesame oil, and cornstarch to thicken.

How to get the best texture on the shrimp filling

To get the bounciest shrimp filling texture, mix it vigorously in a small bowl (it’s an arm workout) for at least 3-5 minutes. You can also use a food processor instead. You can tell that it’s mixed enough when the shrimp starts to get really sticky!

How to make stuffed egg tofu with shrimp in a few easy steps

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients and shrimp mixture

Prepare the aromatics: ginger, scallions, and water chestnuts if using

Peel and devein the shrimp if needed. Mince the shrimp into a paste with a knife or food processor
To the shrimp paste, add Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing), cornstarch, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper
Mix vigorously for 3-5 minutes or until bouncy and sticky. You can also use a food processor for this step instead
Add the minced ginger, sliced scallions (whites), and minced water chestnuts if using. Mix well

Step 2: Assemble the egg tofu and shrimp mixture

Slice off the uneven ends of the egg tofu, then slice into 8 even slices.
Top egg tofu sliceswith the shrimp mixture. You can also carve out little pockets in the tofu for the shrimp if you’d like, but I don’t find that it’s necessary!

Step 3: Steam the egg tofu and shrimp & make the sauce

Steam for 9-10 minutes or until shrimp reaches 165F
In a separate pan, cook the sauce ingredients over medium heat for 2 min or until it’s thickened slightly
After it’s done steaming, pour out any excess liquid from the plate (carefully!) and top it with the sauce. Garnish with the green parts of scallions and enjoy!

Check out my other popular steamed dishes:

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Stuffed Egg Tofu with Shrimp

Silky, egg tofu paired with juicy and snappy shrimp makes a perfect pairing that's both nutritious and delicious!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 10

Total Time 35

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Servings pieces

Ingredients

1package egg tofu8.5 oz (you can also use regular tofu and cut into blocks)
4ozshrimp(~6 large shrimp)
1tspChinese cooking wine
1/2tspcornstarch
1/2tspsesame oil
1/8tspsalt
1/16tspwhite pepper
1tbspminced ginger
2stalks of scallions
2tbspminced water chestnutsoptional

sauce:

1/2cupwater
1/2tspsoy sauce
1/4tspoyster sauce
1/2tspcornstarch
tiny pinch sugar
tiny pinch white pepper
1/4tspsesame oil

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients

Prep your aromatics: mince 1 tbsp of ginger, thinly slice 2 scallions (separate the white and green parts), and mince the water chestnuts if using.
1 tbsp minced ginger, 2 stalks of scallions, 2 tbsp minced water chestnuts

Make the shrimp mixture

Peel and devein the shrimp if needed. Mince the shrimp into a paste with a knife or food processor.
4 oz shrimp
In a small bowl, add the shrimp paste, Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing), cornstarch, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper. Mix vigorously for 3-5 minutes or until bouncy and sticky. You can also use a food processor for this step instead.
1 tsp Chinese cooking wine, 1/2 tsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/16 tsp white pepper
Add the minced ginger, sliced scallions (whites), and minced water chestnuts if using. Mix well.

Assemble the egg tofu with shrimp

Prepare egg tofu by slicing off the uneven ends, then slice into 8 even slices.
1 package egg tofu
Spread the slices out on a plate and top with ~1 tbsp of the shrimp mixture. You can also carve out little pockets in the tofu for the shrimp if you’d like, but I don't find that it's necessary.

Steam the egg tofu with shrimp & make the sauce

Steam for 9-10 minutes or until shrimp reaches 165F. While it steams, mix together all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, then cook over medium heat in a separate pan for 2 min or until it’s thickened slightly.
1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1/4 tsp oyster sauce, 1/2 tsp cornstarch, tiny pinch sugar, tiny pinch white pepper, 1/4 tsp sesame oil
After it’s done steaming, remove carefully, then pour out any excess liquid from the plate (carefully!) and top it with the sauce. Garnish with the green parts of scallions and enjoy!

Video

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Keyword Chinese tofu egg, egg tofu, steamed egg tofu, steamed tofu, stuffed egg tofu

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stuffed egg tofu with shrimp

What is egg tofu?