Sapo tahu — Indonesia

Sapo tahu is a claypot tofu dish from the Chinese Indonesian kitchen, built around cubes of fried tofu simmered in a light, savory sauce together with vegetables and a protein of choice. The name borrows the Chinese word for the earthenware pot it is cooked and served in, and the dish is defined as much by that vessel as by any single ingredient. It is reported widely across Indonesia's cities, and especially in Jakarta, where Chinese restaurants serve competing versions of the dish, some plain and vegetarian, others built up with chicken, shrimp or other seafood, minced beef or pork. It sits alongside other claypot dishes as an everyday order rather than a special-occasion centerpiece. Preparation begins with frying cubes of firm tofu until their surface turns golden and slightly crisp, so they hold together once they hit the sauce. Garlic and ginger are fried in the same pot, a stock is added along with napa cabbage, carrot and mushrooms, and the chosen protein is simmered through. Oyster sauce and soy sauce season the broth, which is lightly thickened with a cornstarch slurry before the tofu goes back in to finish over low heat. What separates one sapo tahu from the next is chiefly the protein carried alongside the tofu and vegetables: a vegetarian version leans on mushrooms and tofu alone, while others add shrimp, minced pork or beef meatballs. Some cooks keep the sauce thin and soupy, others reduce it further so it clings to the tofu, and the claypot itself is brought straight from stove to table so the dish keeps bubbling as it is served.