Kung Pao Tofu and Brocolli Manapua Recipe

Kung Pao Tofu and Brocolli Manapua Recipe

Ingredients for insides: Peanut preparation 2 Cups canola or corn oil for deep frying 1/2 Cup raw skinned peanuts Main Dish 1 tub firm tofu, drained and cut into 1"x 2" x 1/2" pieces enough oil to deepfry tofu 3 Tbsp hot oil 1 Cup (one can) bamboo shoots; diced 1 red bell pepper; deseeded and diced 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp sugar 2 tsp finely chopped garlic 8 Chinese whole dried peppers; ground in spice grinder to a powder 1/2 Cup vegetable stock or water 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce 1 bunch of brocolli, chopped into small pieces and steamed for about 5 minutes until tender Seasoning 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp sugar 1 tsp oyster sauce 1 Tbsp white wine 1 Tbsp cornstarch Sauce 2 1/2 tsp Japanese rice vinegar 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp sugar 2 tsp hot oil Thickening Mixture 2 tsp cornstarch 1/4 Cup water Preparation Heat ~2 cups of oil to 325 F. Deep fry tofu, turning over often to insure an even golden color. Drain on paper toweling and set aside. Put peanuts into a strainer and deep fry for in the hot oil used to fry the tofu about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat wok and stirfry bamboo shoots and bell pepper in 1/2 Tbsp oil. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp sugar. Remove from wok and set aside. In hot wok, stirfry chopped garlic and hot chili pepper powder in 2 Tbsp hot oil. Add vegetable stock, bring to a fast boil, cover and cook for 3 minutes over high heat. Add hoisin sauce, deep fried tofu and brocolli and stir well. Add cooked bamboo shoots/red pepper mixture and mix well. Stir in thickening mixture and cook for 30 seconds. Add sauce mixture and mix well. Add deep fried peanuts and mix well. Remove from heat and allow to cool before stuffing manapua, freezing or refrigeration. Mixture is best if made a day prior to manapua making. Ingredients for Bau part: 1 pkg Rapid Rise yeast 1/4 Cup lukewarm water 1 1/2 Cup room temperature milk 1/2 Cup sugar 3 Tbsp canola oil 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 4 Cups all-purpose flour 2 Cups cake flour Procedure: Take 1/4 cup warm water, a pinch of sugar and yeast package, combine in a small bowl and allow to stand until foamy. In a large bowl place sugar and pour in room temperature/warm milk. Mix with wire whip until sugar is dissolved. Add two cups of cake flour and mix well. Add salt, baking powder and canola oil and mix well. Add yeast mixture and mix well. Slowly add the remaining 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Combine well, but do not knead excessively to avoid gluten formation. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. (It takes me ~2 1/2 hours in a closed microwave with a jar of boiling water.) Punch down, cut into ~24 pieces and form dough balls. Allow dough balls to rest for about 15 minutes. Roll out each dough ball to a disk ~4" in diameter. (Mine look like an albino sunny side up egg. There is a large lump of dough left in the center to compensate for all the dough gathered on the bottom when closing the disk around the meat.) Place ~1 heaping Tbsp of filler into center of disk, pinch closed and twist. Set filled dough ball on 2" square of waxed or parchment paper, twist side down. Place bau in large bamboo steamer. (Mine takes 6/layer, 2 layers steamer.) Place in a warm, moist place to rise for about 30 minutes. (Again, I do this in a closed microwave with freshly boiled water in a jar.) Place the covered bamboo steamer over a wok with about 1" of boiling water. The water should be about 2" from the bottom of the steamer. Steam for 15 minutes, then remove from heat. (I do not remove the bau from the steamer immediately. I wait for about 1/2 hour to allow the bau to cool and "set" before exposing them to room temperature. This reduces the thermal shock and seems to prevent the formation of "divots" on the surface of the dough.) Stamp top center gently with rubber stamp and red food coloring. Serve hot or freeze to retain freshness. Frozen bau may be reheated by wrapping with a paper towel and microwaving for 1 minute.