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When century eggs are combined with soft tofu, you get a delicious combination of creamy, silky, and soft. Adding my secret sauce makes this dish savory and spicy. You will love making this dish since you don‘t need to cook it in the pan; just slice the century eggs and tofu, assemble on a serving plate, and pour the sauce.
All About Century Egg Tofu Recipe
If you loved my century egg and pork congee recipe, then you will also enjoy pairing century eggs with tofu. You get a creamy bite of the century eggs that contrasts well with the silky, soft tofu. The dish is flavored with a savory, spicy sauce made with minced garlic, red pepper, light soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, chili oil, and sesame seeds.
This recipe is one of the easiest to make since it does not require frying or boiling, just slicing and making the sauce. You can probably finish this in less than 10 minutes! In a nutshell, you only have to slice the century eggs and tofu into smaller pieces, assemble them nicely on a serving plate, and pour the sauce all over.
If you want to widen your expertise in egg recipes, you will also LOVE these egg dishes:
- Century Egg and Pork Congee (皮蛋瘦肉粥)
- Pumpkin With Salted Egg Yolk Coating
- Chinese Tea Egg
- Soy Marinated Egg
- Salted Egg Yolk Buns (Liu Sha Bao/流沙包)
- Silky Steamed Egg with Minced Pork
- Seaweed Egg Drop Soup
- Microwave Steamed Eggs
- Chinese Steamed Egg
- Chinese Egg Fried Rice (蛋炒饭)
What Are Century Eggs (皮蛋)?
If you are unfamiliar with century eggs (皮蛋), they are preserved eggs of ducks, chickens, or quail. They are also called Pi Dan, thousand-year-old eggs, or thousand-year eggs. To make century eggs, the eggs are preserved for months in a mixture of salt, lime, clay, rice hulls, and ash, to name a few.
After preserving the eggs, they become translucent and dark brown on the outside. When opened, the center is a dark green to gray yolk. You get a jelly, bouncy egg white with a cheesy, gooey yolk.
Since it is a preserved egg, you can expect a funky smell but with a delightful bitter and umami taste. Its special aroma and flavor are unlike any other, so make sure you incorporate this in the recipe. You can easily purchase century eggs on Amazon or Asian grocery stores.
These are typically packed in vacuum-sealed plastic packaging. You don’t need to refrigerate century eggs or cook them! When you are ready to use them, just crack them open and remove the shell.
What Tofu Is Best For This Recipe?
Are you a newbie in making tofu recipes? If yes, then don’t skip this part yet. For this recipe, I used soft tofu or silken tofu.
Silken tofu is also called kinu, nèndòufu, or yeon-dubu. It is the softest type of tofu that melts in your mouth. Moreover, it is typically eaten cold and does not require to be cooked.
You may also find firm or extra firm tofu, which is also known as momen or cotton tofu. However, this is not as silky and soft as silken tofu. For this recipe, you want to achieve a melty bite.
With firm tofu, it is soft but there will still be a slight chew to it. If you can’t find silken tofu, then it is okay to use firm or extra firm tofu. You can get tofu in the refrigerated section packed in square plastic packaging.
How To Customize The Ingredients
- Century egg: This is the main ingredient of the dish. Since you are after its unique flavor, do not omit or replace it from the recipe. Do not use salted egg or regular egg since these won’t have the same umami and funky taste.
- Tofu: Use silken or soft tofu and chop it into cubes. Carefully chop and transfer the tofu cubes to the serving plate with chopped century eggs. Since these are super soft, they can break easily and lose their cube shape. So, take extra care when chopping and moving it.
- Sauce: The sauce is a mix of minced garlic, chopped red peppers, light soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, chili oil, and white sesame seeds.
- Garlic: Minced garlic is excellent for a nutty and pungent taste for the sauce. If you don’t have garlic but want the garlicky flavors, you can substitute 1 clove of garlic with 1/8 tsp of garlic powder or 1/4 tsp of granulated garlic. You can also use cooked crispy fried garlic if you wish.
- Dried chili pepper: If you like it hot, add some chopped red chili peppers. Alternatively, you can use chili flakes or cayenne pepper to make it spicy. For a non-spicy version, simply remove this from the sauce.
- Light soy sauce: Light soy sauce gives the sauce a deep umami and salty taste. Other alternatives are tamari, liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Chinese black vinegar: I used black vinegar, which you may also know as Chinese black vinegar, Chinkiang vinegar, or Zhenjiang vinegar. I love adding this for its fruity, tangy, and slightly sweet taste. You can buy this in Asian grocery stores or in the international section of local supermarkets. If you don’t have Chinese black vinegar, you can use white vinegar, balsamic vinegar, date vinegar, or red wine vinegar, the taste will be different.
- Sugar: You can balance the salty, spicy, and tangy flavors with a bit of sugar. Adjust the amount according to your desired sweetness. You can use any type of sweetener, such as white sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, or coconut sugar.
- Sesame oil: I love sesame oil for its distinct earthy, nutty taste. The oil is quite strong, so do not add too much, or the sauce may become overwhelming.
- Chili oil: For an extra spicy and savory taste, add chili oil to the sauce. You can find this in grocery stores packed in glass jars. For a homemade version, follow my chili oil recipe. If you prefer a shortcut with minimal ingredients, you can follow my easy version in my Szechuan dumpling recipe where I used only chili flakes, white sesame seeds, and hot oil.
- White sesame seeds: White sesame seeds have a nutty taste and a crunchy texture. You can swap this with black sesame seeds, which are more potent than white. It is completely fine to omit the sesame seeds if you don’t have them since it does not really have a noticeable difference in taste and texture.
- Optional ingredients: For extra texture and a pop of color, add some chopped green onions or cilantro. You can also make it more umami by combining oyster sauce and bonito flakes. If you are feeling extra, top this dish with some pork floss or chicken floss.
Ingredients & Kitchenware To Prepare
No need for pans or pots, just your knife, cutting board, mixing bowl, and chosen serving plate. The ingredients to prepare are the following:
- 4 century eggs (cut into quarters lengthwise)
- 1 pack of tofu (cut into cubes)
- Sauce:
- 3 tbsp of minced garlic
- 1 tbsp of chopped red pepper
- 2 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp of Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- 2 tbsp of sesame oil
- 2 tbsp of chili oil
- 1 tbsp of white sesame seeds
3 Easy Steps To Make Century Egg Tofu
Follow these 3 simple steps: chop the ingredients, make the sauce, and assemble all ingredients on a serving plate. You can finish this easy recipe in 10 minutes or less. Serve it as an appetizer or side dish for your meal.
Watch my 23-second tutorial video on Instagram or TikTok to learn more about the steps. Have you finished making this recipe? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment in the comments section and tagging me @kitchenmisadventures.
- Carefully crack and peel the shell from the century eggs. Chop the century eggs into quarters lengthwise and arrange them on a plate in a circular design.
- Drain the tofu water. Chop the tofu into cubes and place it in the center of the century eggs. Do this carefully since soft tofu is super fragile and can break easily.
- In a small bowl, combine minced garlic, chopped red pepper, light soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, chili oil, and white sesame seeds. Mix well and drizzle the sauce over the tofu and century eggs. That’s it! Enjoy this simple yet mouthwatering dish any time of the day.
Century Egg Tofu Recipe (3 Super Easy Steps!)
Ingredients
- 4 century eggs cut into quarters lengthwise
- 1 pack of tofu cut into cubes
Sauce:
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped red pepper
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp chili oil
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Carefully crack and peel the shell from the century eggs. Chop the century eggs into quarters lengthwise and arrange them on a plate in a circular design.
- Drain the tofu water. Chop the tofu into cubes and place it in the center of the century eggs. Do this carefully since soft tofu is super fragile and can break easily.
- In a small bowl, combine minced garlic, chopped red pepper, light soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, chili oil, and white sesame seeds. Mix well and drizzle the sauce over the tofu and century eggs. That's it! Enjoy this simple yet mouthwatering dish any time of the day.
