Silken Tofu With Black Bean Garlic Sauce

Name: Silken Tofu With Black Bean Garlic Sauce
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil; 4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for serving; 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 2"-piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped; ¼ cup drained fermented soy beans, coarsely chopped; 2 Tbsp. sugar; 2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine); 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth; ½ cup dark soy sauce; 2 Tbsp. cornstarch; 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil; 1 16-oz. package silken tofu; 4 oz. ground beef; 1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce; Cilantro leaves with tender stems and steamed white rice (for serving)

By Calvin Eng and Phoebe Melnick

March 18, 2025

Several servings for a child and adult of silken tofu with black bean garlic sauce and a side of rice.

Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams

In the midst of developing more than 85 recipes for his debut cookbook, Salt Sugar MSG, chef Calvin Eng of Bonnie’s in Brooklyn reached a tipping point. He grew sick and tired of his own cooking, unable to muster the energy or interest to make yet another dinner. The saving grace? His homemade black bean garlic sauce. Made from fermented black soy beans and a handful of other pantry ingredients, it keeps nicely in the fridge for a few weeks, ready to pull out at a moment's notice and spoon over “silky, savory egg custard, or steamed fish, tossed with clams in a hot pan, or simply stir fried with vegetables.” Or used in this version favored by Eng’s toddler—stir-fried with ground beef and poured over silken tofu. —Shilpa Uskokovic, senior test kitchen editor

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