Cold-Dressed Dried Tofu (Liang Ban Fu Zhu)

凉拌腐竹

Cold-Dressed Dried Tofu (Liang Ban Fu Zhu) — Home-styleShanghai home cooking.

Ingredients

• dried tofu skin (fu zhu)
• scallion
• light soy sauce
• sesame oil
• Chinese black vinegar

Instructions

1. Rinse dried tofu skin under cool water, then soak in warm (40°C / 104°F) water for 20 minutes until plump and flexible but still resilient — do not over-soak. (Fu zhu is ivory-colored, slightly translucent, and bends without breaking.)
2. Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil, add soaked fu zhu, and blanch for exactly 90 seconds — then drain and rinse immediately under cold running water. (Fu zhu turns slightly glossy and tightens in texture.)
3. Squeeze gently to remove excess water, then cut into 4-cm batons. (No droplets form when held upright; surface feels damp but not wet.)
4. In a mixing bowl, combine light soy sauce, sesame oil, and Chinese black vinegar. Whisk until emulsified. (Dressing looks uniformly shiny, no oil separation.)
5. Add fu zhu and scallions to the dressing. Toss gently with chopsticks for 1 minute until evenly coated and fragrant. (Each piece glistens with a thin, even sheen.)