Linda's notes: use 4 roma tomatoes (vine = mealy), try roasting them first. Already cut down on the white pepper (too much, maybe caused them to smell like stinky tofu?). Skim fat off broth ahead of time. Chop shrimp finely or use blender. Avoid egg yolk - wasn't as pink. Try silken tofu instead.
Ingredients
1 lb shrimp
1 medium-sized tomato
1 box soft tofu
white sugar, salt, white pepper powder, 1 egg white, cornstarch 1 green onion (chopped; separate white from green; later you will use white portion for making soup)
Directions
1. Prepare shrimp mix
- Peel shrimp shells; put shells on side (shell will be used to make soup for the dish. But you can use chicken soup if you buy shelled shrimp).
- Chop shrimp finely, then put chopped shrimp into a bowl (large enough so the shrimp will fill the bowl half full); add
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Use a pair of chopsticks to mix; continue mixing in only one direction until shrimp becomes sticky (> 3 minutes?) This step is very important. Mixing for longer time will guarantee a success :) Then put the bowl into refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Cut tomato into small cubes; cut tofu into small cubic.
3. Use shrimp shell to make soup:
- Pour a little bit cooking oil into a wok on small to medium fire; put chopped green onion (white portion) into wok, add shrimp shell into wok, stir-fry them until shrimp shell turn red color. Add 1 cup warm or hot water into wok, cover the wok for 2 minutes. Open the cover, pick up shrimp shell out of the wok.
4. Cook the final product
- If you skip step 3, now pour a cup of chicken soup into wok and bring it into boil. Add tomato into wok and cook them until they are soft. Add the following spices into the wok:
- 1/3 teaspoon white pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (no salt if your chicken soup has salt)
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- Now make shrimp ball; add them one by one into the wok. (I usually wash my hand well, then rinse my one hand with water. Use that hand to make shrimp ball).
- Right after all shrimp balls are in the wok, add tofu into wok. Cover the wok on small to medium fire for 5 minutes. Add the rest of green onion (green portion) into wok. Done.