JiJu inspiration - Sparkling jewelry tofu box

October 25, 2013

JiJu inspiration - Sparkling jewelry tofu box

Dutch design week 2013 is on in Eindhoven these two weeks which reminds me the exposition last year we went for Taipei design. I was impressed by how designers take their life experience and translate such a concept into design art just right. My attention was caught by two pieces which were inspired by "tofu".

My relationship with tofu was built when I was a little girl. Going to traditional open market with grandma is a routine after breakfast. I surprisedly had my own shopping list in mind and always drew granny to the specific vendor for ingredient. Tofu is one of items on my cart list for sure.Tofu is a very common product in traditional market, you can find it with different sizes at different level of moisture containing. It is a big piece placed on a wooden board and would be cut into block when people purchase. Sometimes vendor cover with a damp towel to keep the moisture. I love the smell of fresh steamy tofu releasing smooth soy fragrance in the air.

Based on this image, the designer brings it to kitchen/ living room with a new perspective, a wooden chair covered by tofu-shaped cushion. The cushion is rather firm when people sitting upon which breaks the stereotype of tofu, being soft, fragile and easily crushable. The other art piece is taking advantage of tofu's volume, keeping the original shape but turning into a food container. It provides a harmonious atmosphere on the breakfast table by serving side dish for congee (rice porridge, common breakfast in Taiwan).

I was inspired by the later design and wanted to leverage this concept into recipe. I named it "sparking jewelry tofu box" because you can use any ingredient you love. I again use all my favorite nutritious veggie and embed it into jewelry box, like a child keep all the fantastic pieces into treasury box carefully as much as I cherish my own body health. By taking one bit, you can have it all.

Ingredients:
1. 1 block of natural tofu
2. 1 carrot, 1/2 finely chopped, 1/2 stripped
3. 1 onion, 1/2 finely chopped, 1/2 flat sliced
4. 2 scallion, finely chopped
5. 6-8 dry mushroom*,1/2 finely chopped and keep the rest maintain as whole ones
6. 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
7. 1 egg, beaten
8. 1 Tsp corn powder
*Washing the dry mushroom under running water first and soak it into water until it become soft. Drain it well before chop. Keep the mushroom water for later use.

Seasoning:
For the filling
1. 1Tsp soy sauce
2. 1tsp sesame oil
3. 1tsp black pepper
For the cooking
4. 1Tsp oyster soy sauce
5. 1Tsp sugar
6. 1Tsp ketchup

Instructions:
1. Cut the tofu into 3cm*5cm*2cm pieces. Use a knife to curve with a 0.5cm edge. Hollow out to resemble a flat box.

2. Mix chopped carrot, onion, scallion, mushroom and garlic with filling seasoning. Add 1/2 egg to help all the ingredients combine together.

3. Use a tea spoon to refill the tofu box, brush some egg mixture on the top to seal the gap.

4. Heat oil pan, fry the tofu box until each sides become golden brown. Remove from the pan.

5. Use the same pan (I used another pot because I was making veggie burger later with the original pan), add the rest onion, carrot and dry mushroom, stir fry until aroma comes out.

6. Add cooking seasoning and 3 Tsp of mushroom water, put in tofu box and cook until it is boiled. Gently turn the tofu box several times to make sure every side fully absorb the sauce.

7. Set the tofu box on a plate. Dissolve corn powder into 2 Tsp of water. Turn off the heat and pour corn water into sauce, give it a good stir until the sauce become thicker. Pour down the sauce on the tofu box and serve it warm.