Seafood Qiongshan Tofu 海鮮瓊山豆腐 is not tofu at all. A chef in Qiongshan, Hainan province used egg whites and milk to simulate tofu’s soft and smooth texture without using tofu. It’s unknown why he wanted to do this, but it became a big hit! This dish was very popular in the 80’s and 90’s but has been removed from many Chinese restaurant menus in the last 20 years. Perhaps steaming at low temperature for 15-20 minutes is not economically viable. It’s a shame because it’s a very healthy, nutritious and delicious dish.
The first time I had this dish was at Koon Bo Restaurant in Vancouver. This was probably close to 20 years ago. They still have it on their menu. So you might still be able to find this dish at some older Cantonese restaurants. But now, you can make it at home and customize it any which way! Make it into a sweet dessert with or without a sauce on top. If you don’t like seafood, you can also do a Mapo meat sauce and pour it on top. Then you can use the steamed egg whites as your tofu, making it Qiongshan Mapo Tofu! You can check out my Mapo Tofu recipe here.
In my Seafood Qiongshan Tofu 海鮮瓊山豆腐 recipe, I’ll show you how to make soft and silky egg white pudding that seems like tofu. The added broth gives it more depth in flavour than tofu. I’ll also show you how to make a delicious seafood sauce that you can put on fried noodles (like seafood fried egg noodles or rice noodles) or rice. It’s also a perfect recipe for those who want more protein but want to avoid soy. It’s easy to make as long as you know the ratios of egg whites, broth and milk, which you can find in the recipe. Make it for your family and they’ll think you ordered take out from a fancy restaurant!
Looking for more healthy options? Try my Water Spinach with Fermented Tofu 椒絲腐乳炒通菜 or another of my family's favourite is the Chinese Steamed Fish 清蒸魚.
Seafood Qiongshan Tofu 海鮮瓊山豆腐
Ingredients
- 125 g Prawns (or shrimp)
- 125 g Scallops
- 2 Dried scallops
- 200 g Fuzzy melon aka mo gua, mao gua, hairy gourd, Chinese zucchini
- 50 g Shiitake mushrooms
- 1 ¼ c Broth (or water)
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tbsp Abalone sauce (or oyster sauce)
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 stalk Green onions , chopped (for garnish)
Ingredients for egg white pudding:
- 1 c Egg whites (approx. 7 large eggs)
- ½ c Clear broth (or water)
- ½ c Milk
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
Instructions
- Soak dried scallops for 2 hours and pull them apart into shreds. Keep the soaking water
Use only enough water to cover the scallops and a little bit more. Too much water will dilute the soaking water - Prepare and devein prawns and scallops
Alternatively, you may use any protein that amounts to approx. 250 g 
- Dice or slice the prawns and scallops to your desired size and shape
I usually dice everything but I had these big prawns that I thought dicing would be a waste so I just halved them - Dry the prawns and scallops in a colander or with some paper towels. Set aside
- Dice the fuzzy melon and shiitake mushrooms
- Combine 1 tsp cornstarch, ½ tsp salt in ½ c clear broth. Mix well
- Add the broth mixture to 1 c egg whites and ½ c milk. Mix until egg whites are fully mixed with the broth and milk. Use hand blender or immersion blender for best results
- Pour the mixture through a sieve and into a steaming dish to remove any unmixed particles for better texture
- Make a cover for the egg whites by using a piece of aluminum foil that is slightly larger than the steaming dish. Make a fold vertically and horizontally in the middle to give the foil stability.
- Place in steamer when the water starts to boil, lower heat to low and steam with aluminum foil cover for 20 minutes. Note: give the egg whites a final stir before steaming so that the corn starch that has sunk to the bottom of the dish can get mixed again.
Cooking time will differ with the depth and size of your steaming dish. I used a pie plate that is 24 cm or 9.5” diameter and 3.5 cm or 1.5” deep. Leave room for the sauce that goes on top - Pour the soaking water into a measuring cup then add broth to get a total 1 ¼ c. Add 1 tbsp cornstarch to it and mix well
- Heat your wok or pan to high or medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil
- Fry the prawns and scallops until lightly toasted. Will take approx. 2-3 minutes
- Add 1 tsp light soy sauce and 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine. Stir-fry for 10 seconds and remove the scallops and prawns
In the photo, it shows quite a bit of liquid in the wok. It’s more liquid than I would’ve like. I didn’t blot them dry with a paper towel. However, for this dish, it’s not a big deal since we will be making it saucy - Add the dried scallop shreds, shiitake mushrooms and fuzzy melon into the wok. Stir-fry for 1 minute
- Give the broth mixture a mix and pour it into the wok
- Add ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp abalone sauce. Stir until everything is mixed well. Bring to a boil
- Turn heat down to low and cover. Let cook for 10-15 minutes until the fuzzy melon is soft and ready to eat
- Add the prawns and scallops when the egg whites are done to prevent overcooking
- Once 20 minutes are up, check if egg whites are done. Use a toothpick to check the centre. It’s done when the egg whites have solidified
- Remove the egg white dish from the steamer
- Add the prawns and scallops into the wok. Turn the heat to high and stir-fry and mix until the sauce is bubbling
- Pour the sauce onto the egg whites gently
- Garnish with chopped green onions
- Serve
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