This is a great alternative recipe to the Filled Aubergines if you want something a little different! 

When I was growing up, our neighbours would make fresh tofu to sell at the local Asian supermarket. (We used to call them the ‘Tofu King’!) For my family, this meant we could get incredible, fresh tofu at neighbour rates. While this was great for delicious food, like this stuffed tofu recipe, it wasn’t always the best for the senses—honestly, there’s nothing like the smell of boiling soya beans in the evening to make you want to move! 

Whenever I enjoy tofu, it’s like a trip down memory lane. The sight of the tofu jiggling in the bowl, the aroma of fresh soy sauce, and the taste of the perfectly stuffed tofu – it’s a sensory experience that I can’t help but salivate over, like Pavlov’s dog!   

I hope this recipe makes you salivate over tofu as I do; it’s a brilliant but underloved ingredient. 

History of the dish in Vietnam 

I can’t claim this stuffed tofu recipe is a traditional Vietnamese dish passed down within families, but in a way, it’s perhaps an honest representation of the Vietnamese experience. Vietnamese culture has always been a beautiful tapestry woven from threads of foreign influence. From the legacy of Chinese occupation to the spice trade routes that brought Indian and Southeast Asian flavours, Vietnam’s cuisine has taken elements from around the globe. 

This spirit of adaptation continued with the Vietnamese Boat People, who fled their homeland for safety and a new beginning.  Forced to make do with limited resources and ingredients found in refugee camps or adopted countries, their cooking reflected their resilience and resourcefulness. This dish, a mixture of flavours and influences from around the world, embodies that spirit. It’s a testament to the Boat People’s, like my grandparents, ability to find a bit of home wherever they landed.

Ingredients (To serve 4)

– 600g Firm Tofu
– 500g Pork Mince Meat

(If you don’t like or can’t have pork, this recipe works really well with Turkey, Prawns or, for a vegetarian alternative, Quorn.)

– 1 tsp Black Pepper (season to taste)
– 1 tsp Sugar
– 1 tsp Cornstarch/Cornflour (alternatively Potato Starch)
– 1 tsp Sesame Oil

– 1tsp Oyster Sauce
– 2 tsp Fish Sauce 

(If you don’t have Fish Sauce you can use Soy Sauce, Coconut Aminos or Tamari)– 2 

1 Large Shallot or 2-3 small

(Alternatively, you can use Spring Onions, Chinese Leeks or Chives) 

Special Equipment

  • A pan suitable for frying.

Method 

  1. Slice the tofu into 1.5-inch squares. 
  1. Pat the tofu dry and scoop out the middle to leave a cavity for the filling.
  1. Dice the shallots finely. 
  1. Mix the scooped out tofu, meat (or alternative) and shallots with black pepper, sugar, sesame oil and fish sauce until you have a paste. 
  1. Fill the tofu cavities evenly with your filling, ensuring it’s tightly packed. If you have any leftover filling, use it to make meatballs!
  1. Coat the tofu generously with cornstarch. I would do this twice, as the tofu is very wet. 
  1. Gently heat oil in a shallow pan. One trick to test if your oil is hot enough is to place a chopstick in the pan. If ready, you’ll see a flurry of bubbles.
  1. When the oil is hot, carefully add your stuffed tofu cubes and fry until golden brown and the filling is firm. 

Serve with rice immediately (or within 20 minutes; otherwise, they can go soggy!) and pair with our Nước chấm Vietnamese sauce that you can buy from our store!