Dou Dou (豆豆)
Zucchini gets the Taiwanese home-kitchen treatment: sliced on the bias, then flash-tossed with golden shiitake, snappy baby corn and chewy dried tofu in a sweet-savory Haishan sauce.
櫛瓜別只會切片乾煎——斜切成薄片後，和煎香的香菇、玉米筍與豆乾一起快炒，淋上鹹甜的海山醬，簡單幾步就是一盤超下飯的家常菜。
📹 Watch the Recipe:
Credits to 芭樂媽的家 Qistin Wong TV — click to watch the full video:
🥘 Why This Recipe Works
Most people treat zucchini only one way: slice it into rounds and pan-fry it until soft. 芭樂媽 does something smarter. She cuts the squash in half and then slices it on the bias, turning each piece into a long, elegant oval. That single change does two jobs at once — the dish looks far more appetizing, and because every slice is thin, it cooks through in moments instead of stewing into mush.
The rest of the pan is pure Taiwanese kitchen logic. Shiitake mushrooms go in first and get seared until their edges turn golden, which releases a deep, meaty savor without any meat. Then the protein arrives: dense dried tofu (or its puffier cousin, fried tofu 油豆腐), cut into little triangles that soak up sauce like sponges. Baby corn is roll-cut into chunky, three-dimensional pieces so the finished plate has height and crunch rather than lying flat.
The sauce is where this dish really finds its identity. Instead of the usual soy-sauce-heavy braise, 芭樂媽 reaches for 海山醬 (Haishan sauce), a sweet-savory Taiwanese fermented condiment that seasons warmly with almost no chili heat. She adds just one teaspoon of soy sauce — deliberately restrained, because she does not want the vegetables to turn dark — then a splash of water to let everything simmer together for two minutes.
11 humble ingredients, one wok, and on the table in about 15 minutes. No garlic, no onion, no meat — and yet it eats like a rich, savory supper over a bowl of steamed rice.
🛒 Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 櫛瓜 — Zucchini | 2 medium (約300g) | Halved lengthwise, sliced thin on the bias |
| 玉米筍 — Baby corn | 5 (5條) | Roll-cut into chunky pieces (滾刀塊) |
| 香菇 — Shiitake mushrooms | 5 (適量) | Trim woody stem end, halve and slice |
| 豆乾／油豆腐 — Dried tofu or fried tofu puffs | 150g (適量) | Cut thick pieces into small triangles |
| 辣椒 — Red chili | 1 (適量) | Optional; slice, or skip for no-heat |
| 食用油 — Cooking oil | 1 tbsp (適量) | Neutral oil, high smoke point |
| 海山醬 — Haishan sauce | 1 tbsp (適量) | Taiwanese sweet-savory fermented sauce |
| 醬油 — Soy sauce | 1 tsp (1茶匙) | Kept light so the dish stays bright |
| 胡椒粉 — White pepper | ½ tsp (1/2茶匙) | Freshly ground if possible |
| 鹽 — Salt | ½ tsp (1/2茶匙) | Added because the soy sauce is light |
| 清水 — Water | 40 ml (40c.c.) | To braise and marry the flavors |
👨🍳 Instructions
Step 1 — Slice the zucchini the pretty way
- Trim the zucchini and cut it in half lengthwise.
- Slice on the bias (斜片) into thin half-moon ovals, about 3–4 mm thick.
- Thin slices are the whole point: they look beautiful and cook through in seconds, so the squash stays tender instead of turning to mush.
Step 2 — Prep the supporting cast
- Roll-cut the baby corn into chunky 滾刀 pieces so it sits proud in the dish and adds crunch.
- Trim the woody base off the shiitake, then halve and slice. Slice the chili if using.
- Cut the dried tofu (or tofu puffs) into small triangles or cubes — smaller pieces absorb more sauce.
Step 3 — Sear the mushrooms, then the tofu
- Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat and add the shiitake.
- Pan-fry, stirring, until the mushrooms turn golden and smell nutty — this golden sear is the dish’s savor.
- Add the tofu pieces and stir-fry for about a minute to take on color and heat.
Step 4 — Add the vegetables
- Toss in the sliced zucchini and the baby corn together.
- Keep everything moving so the zucchini starts to soften without steaming.
Step 5 — Season with Haishan sauce
- Add the Haishan sauce, 1 tsp soy sauce, ½ tsp white pepper and ½ tsp salt.
- Toss quickly to coat every piece evenly.
Step 6 — Splash, simmer, plate
- Pour in 40 ml (40c.c.) of water and stir.
- Let it braise gently for about 2 minutes so all the flavors merge.
- Toss once more, taste for salt, then plate and serve hot with steamed rice.
💡 Tips & Substitutions
| Problem / Question | Fix / Answer |
|---|---|
| Can’t find Haishan sauce? | Blend sweet bean sauce (甜麵醬) with a pinch of sugar, or use a mild Taiwanese sweet sauce. Don’t substitute a chili sauce unless you want heat. |
| Zucchini turned soggy? | Slice it thin and keep the braise short — about 2 minutes after the water goes in. Overcooking is the only way this dish fails. |
| Why so little soy sauce? | Deliberate. A heavy pour darkens the whole plate; one teaspoon keeps the zucchini green and the tofu golden while the Haishan sauce does the seasoning. |
| Want it spicier? | Add the sliced chili with the mushrooms, or finish with a spoon of chili oil. The base recipe is intentionally mild. |
| More protein? | Swap in fried tofu puffs (油豆腐) or toss in extra mushrooms — both soak up the sauce beautifully. |
📊 Nutrition
Per serving (serves 2): ≈ 190 kcal · 14g protein · 10g fat · 14g carbs · 4g fiber. Light on calories, heavy on plant protein — a genuinely satisfying vegan dinner.
🌱 Why This Dish
櫛瓜 literally means “comb melon,” a name borrowed from the ridged surface of the first Japanese-bred varieties (櫛 means comb). Botanically it is the common zucchini, Cucurbita pepo — a summer squash that Taiwan’s markets and home cooks have fully adopted. It is prized for its mild sweetness and, crucially, for how fast it cooks, which is exactly why 芭樂媽 insists on thin bias-cut slices.
Its partner here, 豆乾 (dried tofu) and its puffier cousin 油豆腐 (fried tofu), sit at the heart of Buddhist temple cooking. Pressed and dense, they carry far more protein than silken tofu and act like little sauce sponges. Along with the shiitake, they give this entirely plant-based dish the depth of flavor that people usually associate with meat.
The finishing condiment, 海山醬, is a distinctly Taiwanese invention — a fermented soybean-and-rice sauce, sweet and savory, named for the Haishan district of New Taipei City where it originated. It seasons like a mild hoisin crossed with a light miso, which is why 芭樂媽 recommends it specifically to anyone who cannot handle chili heat.
Note that this recipe contains no garlic and no onion, so it is not just vegetarian but fully 純素 — suitable for Buddhist vegetarians observing the five-pungent restriction. It is a textbook 家常菜, an everyday home dish: one wok, fifteen minutes, and a plate that makes plain rice disappear.
Ingredients
Method
- Trim the zucchini and cut it in half lengthwise. Slice on the bias into thin half-moon ovals about 3-4 mm thick. Thin slices look better and cook through in seconds.
- Roll-cut the baby corn into chunky pieces. Trim the woody base off the shiitake, then halve and slice. Slice the chili if using. Cut the dried tofu or tofu puffs into small triangles or cubes.
- Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat and add the shiitake. Pan-fry until golden and nutty. Add the tofu and stir-fry about one minute to take on color.
- Toss in the sliced zucchini and the baby corn together, keeping everything moving so the zucchini softens without steaming.
- Add the Haishan sauce, 1 tsp soy sauce, half a teaspoon of white pepper and half a teaspoon of salt. Toss quickly to coat every piece evenly.
- Pour in 40 ml of water and stir. Braise gently for about 2 minutes so the flavors merge, toss once more, taste for salt, then plate and serve hot with steamed rice.
