Vegetarian Pipa Tofu: A Tasty Old School Recipe For Mushroom Lovers

This vegetarian pipa tofu is my take on an classic Chinese recipe. Instead of mixing in ground pork and shrimp with the tofu, I chose to use mushrooms and carrots. The end result is a fried tofu ball that has a crunchy outside and a flavorful middle with excellent texture. We served them with rice and broccoli for a delicious meal.

What is pipa tofu?

The pipa refers to the way the tofu mix is shaped. Traditionally, it’s a tear drop or elongated diamond intended to look like a stringed instrument called a pipa. Some of the recipes I saw use Chinese soup spoons to both shape the tofu mix as well as steam it. I found it was easy enough to use my hands.

For inspiration, I drew upon Ken Goh’s recipe as well as the version written by What to Cook Today. Check them out for traditional preparations.

Why use mushrooms instead of ground pork?

I’ve made a lot of veggie burgers over the years, and for me, those made with mushrooms have a very “meaty” texture. When I decided to make a vegetarian pipa tofu, mushrooms were the first to come to mind to use as a substitute for the traditional ground pork and shrimp. The recipes I used as guides used roughly 12 ounces of meat. I substituted an 8 ounce tray of cremini mushrooms and a half cup of grated carrot.

It was simple to chop the cleaned and trimmed mushrooms in my food processor until very fine. Later, they were mixed with the tofu, carrots, and seasoning before forming into the pipa.

Do I have to steam my pipa tofu before frying?

Once steamed, the pipa are ready to eat if you like. However, you don’t have to steam them before frying. It wasn’t until after I steamed mine that I realized I probably didn’t need to because there was no raw meat in my mix.

D’uh!

That being said, the steamed pipa was easy to handle. On the other hand, steaming is another step in an already complicated recipe. If find yourself struggling to bread the uncooked pipa, place them in the fridge for half an hour or so to allow them to firm up.

If you make a traditional pipa tofu (with ground meat and/or seafood), I recommend steaming for 7 minutes or longer to ensure the meats are cooked through.

Feel free to serve the steamed pipa with any sauce you like. Be warned, the color isn’t very appealing in my opinion. We used mushrooms as the filling, after all. You may want to pan fry them a little more eye appeal.

Cornstarch or Bread Crumbs?

You can dredge the pipa in cornstarch and pan fry them but this was my least favorite way to serve them. The cornstarch didn’t cover the color of the mushrooms and the end result, while still tasty, wasn’t very pretty. A cornstarch batter might work but I reached for the panko.

Setting up a breading station is extra work, but worth it, in my opinion. The golden brown bread crumbs just beg you to take a bite. And when you taste the tender interior…wow!

Mushroom Pipa Tofu

A vegetarian version of an old school favorite.

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 6 people

Equipment

• steamer (optional)
• food processor OR stick blender

Ingredients

Pipa

• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms
• 1 pack tofu, drained and pressed
• 3 each green onions, chopped (white and non woody green parts)
• 1 large carrot, shredded (between ⅓ and ½ cup)
• ⅓ cup chopped cilantro or parsley
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Seasoning

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, 5 spice powder (to taste)

Instructions

• Use the food processor or stick blender to chop the mushrooms into very fine pieces.
• Add the tofu and carrots. Process until well mixed and paste like. Stir in the green onions, sesame seeds, cilantro and seasonings.
• Stir in the corn starch, adjust the amount depending on how wet the mix is.
• Use a scoop for portioning, then form the mix into teardrop or diamond shapes. I got 16 pipa, using a standard 2" scoop.
• If steaming, arrange the pipa on a plate that will fit inside your steamer. You will need to work in batches.

  Steam the pipa for 7 to 9 minutes. They should be firm to the touch and hold their shape without crumbling.
• At this point the pipa can be eaten. Serve them with soy or tamari sauce for dipping, prepare your favorite sauce or use a commercially prepared sauce.
• To fry, dredge the pipa in cornstarch or set up a breading station with bread crumbs. Pan fry until golden brown all over. Garnish with chopped cilantro and/or green onions and serve with your choice of sauce.

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Want to make your own sauce? Try this one from my scallion pancakes recipe!