Three-Cup Tofu

Three-cup tofu, san bei dou fu, is the vegetarian version of Taiwan's famous three-cup cooking, the technique named for its equal-parts seasoning of one cup each of soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine. The original three-cup dish, three-cup chicken, is among the most famous Taiwanese dishes, said to originate with a mainland Chinese cook who simmered a chicken with these three seasonings in a clay pot; the tofu version adapts the technique for vegetarians and for the Buddhist vegetarian tradition strong in Taiwan. Firm tofu, drained and pan-fried until golden and crisp on the surface, is braised in the three-cup sauce with plenty of garlic cloves, sliced ginger and a generous handful of Thai basil, the basil the essential final addition that defines three-cup cooking. The dish is traditionally cooked and served in a clay pot that sizzles at the table, the sauce reducing to a glossy, intensely flavoured glaze that coats each piece. The equal-part rule of soy, sesame oil and rice wine gives the dish its name and its balance of salt, richness and aroma, and the Thai basil, added at the end so its fragrance survives, is the bright herbal note. Eaten across Taiwan in vegetarian and ordinary restaurants, three-cup tofu proves the technique works as well on bean curd as on chicken.

Crisp, golden tofu pieces in a glossy, intense, garlicky-soya glaze, rich with sesame oil and lifted by the anise-like perfume of Thai basil, served sizzling in a clay pot. Deeply savoury, aromatic, the vegetarian cousin that loses nothing to the chicken original.

The dish is a braise built on the equal three cups. Firm tofu is drained well, pressed of its water, and pan-fried in oil until golden and crisp on all surfaces, this frying essential so the tofu holds its shape in the braise and develops a texture. In a clay pot or heavy pan, sesame oil is heated and a large quantity of garlic cloves, often whole, and sliced ginger are fried until fragrant, the aromatics the base. Soy sauce, rice wine and a little sugar are added in equal-ish parts, with water, the tofu folded in, and the dish simmered until the sauce reduces to a glossy glaze that coats the tofu, the reduction concentrating the flavours. A very generous handful of Thai basil is added at the very end, off the heat, so its volatile anise-like aroma survives, the basil being the defining note of three-cup cooking. The dish is served hot, ideally in the clay pot that sizzles at the table. The equal-part rule is the technique, the balance of salt, oil richness and wine aroma, and the basil is the bright lift that makes the dish distinct from a plain soy braise. The crisp tofu against the intense glaze is the vegetarian pleasure.