【Tofu Spinach pockets】
by MaomaoMom
I made these tofu spinach pockets for a potluck party and loved by many guests. I cooked a few for my dad and he loved so much too.
Meal type: Appetizer
Prepare time: 2 hour
Cook time: 8 minutes for each batch
Level: Medium
Serves: 20 servings (total of 40 pockets)
Ingredients:
Wrappers:
1) 2+3/4 cups unsifted all purpose flour (440g);
2) 1 cup boiling water (240g), 3/8 cup cold water (90g);
3) 1 tsp olive oil or other vegetable oil;
Filling:
4) 900g spinach washed and drained, 2 tbspsesame oil;
5) 12 small and dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked, washed and drained;
6) 2 extra large eggs+1/4 tsp salt+1 tbsp water mix well, 2 tsp olive oil;
7) 2 pieces tofu (300g), 2 tsp olive oil;
8) 2 tsp olive oil, 6 tbsp tiny dried shrimps, 4-5 tbsp freshly chopped green onion, 1.5 tsp minced ginger;,
9) 1.25 tsp salt, 1/3 tsp thirteen spice powder, 1/2 tsp chicken broth mix, 1 tbsp corn starch, 1 tbsp premium soy sauce;
10) vegetable or corn oil for pan frying;
Directions:
1: A few hours ahead, soak dried mushrooms in cold water until soft, wash, drain, cut into small pieces and set aside. Wash spinach and rinse well. Submerge spinach in a large pot of boiling water for 60 seconds (Picture 1). Remove and rinse under cold water and drain.
2: Dough: Measure out flour into a medium sized bowl. Slowly stir in boiling water and continue to stir with chopsticks until it is well combined (Picture 2). Add 3/8 cup cold water and knead to form dough. Add 1 tsp olive or corn oil and continue kneading until the dough is smooth, about a minute (Picture 3). Cover with a damp cloth and let it stand for 20 minutes.
Tofu spinach filling:
3: In anon-stick sauté pan add 2 tsp oil over medium-high heat, add beaten eggs of Ingredient 6) (Picture 4), gently stir until egg starts to solidify. Remove from heat and let cool; then finely chop the cooked egg (Picture 4). Cut each tofu block horizontally into six equal portions, heat 2 tsp olive oil in the same non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Arrange tofu pieces in the pan (Picture 6), and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove from heat, cool and cut into small pieces (Picture 7), set aside.
4: Dice the precooked spinach and wrap in cheesecloth. Squeeze the cheesecloth to remove excess liquid. Then place in a bowl, stir in 2 tbsp sesame oil and mix to combine. Add chopped eggs and tofu pieces (Picture 10).
5: Same sauté pan, on medium-high heat, heat 2 tsp oil, added tiny dried shrimps, chopped green onion and minced ginger (Picture 9) sauté for 60 seconds. Pour cooked shrimps, green onion and minced ginger to the above chopped spinach, egg and tofu (Picture 10), mix to combine and set aside.
6: Wrappers: On a floured working surface, divide dough into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a log about 2 cm in diameter. Cut into 10 equal sized portions (Picture 11). Press with your palm to flatten them. Roll out each disc into a 12 cm circle.
7: Pockets: Place 1-1.5 tablespoon filling on the wrapper (Picture 12). Press to seal the edges (Picture 13). Then make decorative edges (Pictures 14-15). Refer to this video on how to make decorative edges and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
8: Cooking: In a non-stick sauté pan, heat 2 tsp oil over medium heat. Place 10 tofu spinach pockets in the pan (Picture 16). Cook one side for about 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Turnover and cook the other side to golden brown and crispy.
9: Serve warm. Yummy!!
Tips: Uncooked tofu spinach pockets can be frozen up to 3 months, pan fry before serving.
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