Tofu is often seen only as a meat alternative consumed by vegetarians/vegans in the U.S., but in Vietnam, it is an ingredient beloved by all.
We love tofu in al its variations and cooking methods- we have savory and sweet dishes made with tofu; we have tofu-only dishes and ones that combine tofu with meats. The options are plentiful and all delicious!
Đậu hũ nhồi thịt is a really easy and delicious dish that Mai’s family make at home often. It involves frying large pieces of tofu until the outside is crispy, then stuffing them with the tried-and-true Vietnamese filling of minced pork, wood-ear mushrooms, shiitake, and green onions. The pieces are lightly fried again to create a nice golden surface on the filling, then simmered in tomato sauce until fully cooked.
In Vietnamese, we would call this a dish that is “tốn cơm”, meaning it is so good that you will eat a ton of rice with it!
Đậu hũ nhồi thịt • Pork-stuffed Tofu
Course: MainCuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Easy2
servings15
minutes35
minutes50
minutesIngredients
14 oz 14 extra firm tofu (400 g)
- Filling
8 oz 8 minced pork (225 g)
0.2 oz 0.2 dried wood-ear mushrooms (5 g)
0.2 oz 0.2 dried shiitake mushrooms (5 g)
4 small stalks 4 green onions
2 tbsp 2 fish sauce
1 tsp 1 bouillon powder
- Sauce
1 cup 1 crushed tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1/4 cup 1/4 water
1 tsp 1 fish sauce
1/2 tsp 1/2 bouillon powder
Directions
- Cut tofu into pieces about 2 inches in length, 1.5 inches in width, and 1/2 inch thick. Pat dry.
- Pour enough vegetable oil into a frying pan to create a 1/2 inch layer. Heat oil on medium.
- When oil is ready, add tofu pieces and fry until all sides are evenly golden. Remove tofu from pan and let cool slightly on rack or paper towels to drain oil.
Do not pour out oil from frying pan, we will use this again. - While tofu is cooling, prepare the filling.
- Thinly slice green onions- keeping the green and white parts separate. The whites will be used in the filling; set the green part aside for garnish later.
- Rehydrate wood-ear and shiitake mushrooms in boiling water then drain and mince.
- Mix all the filling ingredients together.
- Once tofu is cool enough to handle, cut open one of the long sides to form a pocket. If your tofu is very dense, you might need to scoop out some of the insides (which can be kept for stirfry or vegan scrambled ‘eggs’).
- Stuff the tofu pocket tightly with the filling. Add enough filling for some stick out of the pocket like a small dome. Repeat for the rest of the tofu pieces.
- Put frying pan from earlier back on the stove and heat on medium. Once oil is ready, add the stuffed tofu pieces-meat side down. Fry until golden.
- Add all the ingredients for the sauce in a sauce pan, then place the tofu pieces in and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, flipping the tofu pieces a few times to make sure both sides can soak up the sauce.
- Add to a plate and sprinkle with the reserved onion greens from Step 5. Serve with rice and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @mmbonappetit on Instagram
I remember my mom used to make this for me all the time back in Vietnam. Your recipe makes it seem very simple! Will try it soon. Thank you for this post!
Aw, same! It’s such a family dinner staple. Let us know how it turns out!