You are going to love this Vietnamese tofu recipe!
Don’t you love it when you go out for a meal and get served something amazing that you didn’t even know existed? That’s what happened to my wife and I while in Vietnam. Pork stuffed Vietnamese tofu was served at so many restaurants and food stalls. We must have ordered it ten times during our stay and this is one of the recipes I learned while there.
This pork stuffed tofu is so good. You can serve it with or without the tomato sauce.
Is this Vietnamese tofu recipe easy?
Yes. It can be a bit fussy the first time you make it. Digging the tofu centres and all to make room for the pork stuffing takes some time. But I promise you, your work will go rewarded.
Is this a one pan recipe?
Sure is! You can cook pork stuffed tofu in tomato sauce all in one pan. What’s more, this Vietnamese tofu recipe can be prepared and cooked in less than 30 minutes!
Can this recipe be made vegetarian?
Yes. Chop up the pieces of tofu you dig out. Then mix with chopped mushroom and the remainder of the stuffing ingredients. You won’t be disappointed.
Which type of tofu is best for this recipe?
Go for the hard blocks of tofu. Don’t use the soft stuff. That won’t work!
Other ways to serve this Vietnamese tofu…
At many restaurants we visited, the stuffed tofu was served on its own with just a couple of sauces to dip it in. This makes a delicious starter course.
Pro Tips…
- Be sure to pat the tofu dry with a paper towel when you unwrap it. This will achieve a crispier exterior.
- Try to break the pork down as you mix it with the other ingredients. It is best quite smooth in texture.
- Fry a spoonful of the pork stuffing before adding it all to the tofu. You can then taste it and adjust the seasoning before stuffing all the tofu pieces.
Pork stuffed tofu in pictures…
Get all your ingredients together before you start cooking.
Cut the tofu into large bite sized pieces and then dig the centre out. Set aside.
Place the filling ingredients in a bowl.
Mix well with your hand to break the ground meat down and to combine the ingredients.
Fill each of the holes in the tofu pieces generously with the stuffy and pack it in there so it stays in.
Fry in a generous amount of oil, meat side down.
Then flip them over and fry the other side. Be sure to move the tofu around so that it browns all over.
Transfer the cooked tofu to a wire rack to drain any excess oil. Then discard all but 2 tbs of the oil and fry the onion and garlic.
Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down
Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer until you have a thick tomato sauce.
Return the pork stuffed tofu to the pan and simmer until heated through.
So good! Give this a try.
If you like this recipe, you might like to try some of these Vietnamese favourites too!
Shaking Beef
Vietnamese Rotisserie Chicken
Beef Congee
Vietnamese Grilled Scallops
Cha Ca – Fried fish with Dill
Bo Kho – Spicy beef soup
Vietnamese Chicken Wings
Bun Cha – Grilled Pork Patties in Sauce
Chicken Pho
Beef Pho
Duck Pho
Pork on Lemongrass Skewers
Ban Xeo – Crispy Vietnamese Pancakes
Pork Stuffed Tofu with Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 800g ( 28oz) firm tofu
- Rapeseed (canola) oil for shallow frying
- FOR THE PORK STUFFING
- 225g (1/2 lb.) ground pork
- 4 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
- 3 green bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- FOR THE SAUCE
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 400ml (1 ½ cups) chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 red spur chillies, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Take the tofu out of the packaging and drain. Pat it dry and cut the tofu into large, two bite sized pieces rectangles.
- Carefully cut the centre of the tofu out of each piece. This is where you will stuff the pork. You can discard the tofu you dig out or use it in a soup or in another recipe.
- Place the ground pork in a bowl and add the chopped spring onions (scallions), the chillies (if using), the light brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well to combine and then stuff each pice of tofu generously with this pork stuffing.
- Fill the bottom of your pan with the rapeseed (canola) oil and place over a medium high heat. The oil is hot enough when bubbles from immediately when you place one of the stuffed tofu cubes in it. If it doesn’t, heat it up longer.
- Place the tofu meat side down in the hot oil. As it cooks, you will see the tofu cooking up the sides. When nicely browned on the bottom, carefully turn the tofu cubes over and fry the other side. Then move them around a bit so that the tofu is nicely browned all over. You might need to do this in batches and you can plan on about 10 minutes per batch.
- Transfer the cooked tofu to a plate and set aside.
- To make the tomato sauce, you only need about 2 tbsp of oil in the pan. If you have more, discard it.
- Then toss in the finely chopped shallots and garlic in the remaining oil and fry for about a minute to soften some. Then pour in the chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer over a medium high heat.
- Cook the sauce down for about 5 minutes, pressing down on the chopped tomatoes as you do. You can add a drop of water if your pan is looking too dry.
- To finish the sauce, stir in the oyster sauce and fish sauce. Try a spoonful and adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Once you are happy with the flavour of the sauce, place the fried, stuffed tofu pieces in it meat side up. Cover the pan and let it simmer for a couple of minutes until the tofu and pork are hot.
- Serve garnished with the finely sliced red chillies.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 141Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 527mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 11g