AI-generated photo.
Taiwanese · Signature, Home · Taiwan
Braised tofu
Also called 紅燒豆腐
Braised tofu (紅燒豆腐), a Home dish from Taiwan.
Pai editors’ mark 4 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Braised tofu is cooked in Home as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Brown tofu and simmer it with mushroom, carrot, tamari, and star anise until the sauce is dark and short. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
74
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 28%
- Carbs 17%
- Fat 55%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 9.3 g, under the 25 g mark.
Watch · Low sodium
About 549 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Suits · Vegetarian
No meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Suits · Gentle when sick
Mild, not fried, and not a very rich plate. Comfort, not a treatment.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Firm tofu59 kcal
- Olive oil31 kcal
- Egg18 kcal
- Shiitake mushroom4 kcal
- Carrot4 kcal
- Yellow onion4 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 1.8. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving is about 123 kcal. Two portions would be about 246 kcal if you want a fuller plate.
Allergens. Egg, Soy
Make it healthier
Use half the salt
Salt adds no calories in this table, so the calorie figure stays put while sodium falls.
About 123 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Swap firm tofu for the same weight of firm tofu or chickpeas when you want a meatless pot.
The seasoning and the method stay. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 123 kcal | 6% |
| Protein | 9.3 g | 19% |
| Carbohydrate | 5.4 g | 2% |
| Fiber | 1.5 g | 5% |
| Total sugars | 1.8 g | 4% |
| Fat | 8 g | 10% |
| Saturated fat | 1.5 g | 8% |
| Cholesterol | 47 mg | 16% |
| Sodium | 549 mg | 24% |
| Potassium | 221 mg | 5% |
| Calcium | 165 mg | 13% |
| Iron | 1.6 mg | 9% |
| Magnesium | 36 mg | 9% |
| Zinc | 1 mg | 9% |
| Vitamin A | 104 mcg | 12% |
| Vitamin C | 1.5 mg | 2% |
| Vitamin D | 0.3 mcg | 2% |
| Vitamin E · estimate | 0.8 mg | 5% |
| Vitamin K · estimate | 15 mcg | 13% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.1 mg | 6% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.2 mg | 12% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.8 mg | 5% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1 mg | 8% |
| Folate | 26 mcg | 7% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.1 mcg | 5% |
Low-confidence marks sit on glycemic load or on vitamins the USDA row left blank. Those vitamins are filled from a food-group reference and labeled as estimates. Reported USDA values, including zeros, are kept. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- A middle path: useful food, with one or two numbers worth watching.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Heavy pot with a lid
- Scale
- Tongs
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Firm tofu10 oz300 g
Shiitake mushroom4 mushrooms50 g
Carrot0.5 carrot40 g
Tamari1 tbsp13.91 ml
Star anise1 pod1 g
Yellow onion0.25 onion40 g
Egg1 egg50 g
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
Olive oil1 tbsp15.38 ml
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Swap firm tofu for the same weight of firm tofu or chickpeas when you want a meatless pot.. The seasoning and the method stay.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Braised tofu. Heat to 325°F / 163°C in the oven, or a quiet simmer on the stove and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh firm tofu, shiitake mushroom, carrot, tamari, star anise, yellow onion, egg, kosher salt, olive oil. Braised tofu is cooked in Home as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Brown tofu and simmer it with mushroom, carrot, tamari, and star anise until the sauce is dark and short. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Braised tofu is cooked in taiwan. Also called 紅燒豆腐. Scrape the browned bits up with the liquid. That fond is the sauce.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Braised tofu, until the edges take a little color. Braise with the liquid halfway up the food, not drowning it.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Braised tofu at 325°F / 163°C in the oven, or a quiet simmer on the stove. Start checking at 69 minutes. Braised tofu is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
Braise 69 min
- 🇹🇼 TaiwanEast Asiasig-taiwan-braised-tofu-step-4
Braised tofu, step 5
Step 5 · Braised tofu
5Check the center of Braised tofu, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇹🇼 TaiwanEast Asiasig-taiwan-braised-tofu-step-5
Braised tofu, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Braised tofu for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in taiwan, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Braised tofu in this shot order and no other: the sauce coating a spoon; a cooling rack and a waiting towel; cheese melting only after the boil stops; the lid lifted for one quick look. Slate words for the editor: skillet, simmer, quiet, linen, fork, caramel, dusk, zestline, sable, nutmeg.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Braised tofu is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
If it goes wrong
- Braised tofu looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Braised tofu turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Braised tofu, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Braised tofu belongs to Home. The method above is the one that makes it recognizable.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Brown tofu and simmer it with mushroom, carrot, tamari, and star anise until the sauce is dark and short.
Allergens in the required list: Egg, Soy.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.