We’ve been living at my parent’s house as our kitchen undergoes renovation. Yes, the kitchen re-do is finally under way! While under normal circumstances, I would dread the inconvenience, it just so happens that right now, it’s the best thing for me. If I was my normal, overly busy self I’d be annoyed that my commute to the city is longer.  With morning sickness still lingering, I’ve limited making plans anyway.

At first I imagined being frustrated by not having my whole wardrobe here with me.  Only later to realize I only fit into five outfits. (We’re planning on putting up a picture of my little bump soon.) Of course, the cherry on top is that my mom is doing all the cooking. I have a stockpile of nutritious foods at my fingertips and my mom lovingly makes anything I want.

Pork Stuffed Fried Tofu with Soy Bean Sprouts

The hard part is deciding what I want to eat. I’m still barely eager to eat, let alone experiencing any cravings, even though most of the nausea has gone away. I didn’t know if I wanted it at the time, but after my mom made this dish of Pork Stuffed Fried Tofu, I happily ate it up. This is a home-style dish that many Chinese moms make, always their own variant. You’ll seldom find something like this at a restaurant, so if you like the way this sounds, break out your wok. Luckily it’s not very hard to make and doesn’t take much time.

fried tofu (yo dofu) package

The one hard part may be identifying the type of fried tofu to buy, especially if you’re not an experienced tofu shopper. This type of fried tofu, called “yo dofu”, is spongy on the inside and not as dense as regular fried tofu, which is completely firm, or soft tofu that has been fried. Look for this in clear packages in Chinese supermarkets. Here we used the ones that are roughly small cubes. They also come in a large spherical size/shape.

fried tofu (yo dofu) inside fried tofu

Also keep in mind that we’re using soy bean sprouts here which have a bigger bean part than the mung bean sprouts more commonly found in supermarkets. You may have to go to the Chinese market for this as well (you’ll be there anyway for the Yo Dofu).

soy bean sprouts

Pork Stuffed Fried Tofu
~4 to 5 servings

  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1 scallion, chopped
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
  • 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 (2 oz) package or 15 pieces fried tofu (yo dofu)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 24 oz soy bean sprouts
  • 4 cloves garlic, quartered
  • kosher salt to taste

Instructions –

1. In a medium bowl, stir together pork, scallion, 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, and cornstarch.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

2. Poke a hole in the center of a piece of fried tofu and stuff with pork mixture. Pack in tightly. Repeat until you finish stuffing all the fried tofu pieces.

pork stuffed fried tofu 2

3. Heat oil in a wok or similar pan on medium heat. Place stuffed tofu meat side down to brown the meat, about 2 minutes. Push the stuffed tofu pieces towards the sides, freeing up the center space.

frying stuffed fried tofu browned meat side

4. Add sprouts (it will be a big pile) in the center and sprinkle with a little salt. Toss occasionally allowing sprouts to wilt.

adding soy bean sprouts 2

5. Add 1 cup water, garlic, and remaining tablespoon of soy sauce. Toss and cook covered until sprouts are tender, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning, making it saltier if you want to eat it with rice, and less salty if you are eating it alone. Serve immediately.

Pork Stuffed Fried Tofu with Soy Bean Sprouts 5

Left-overs can be saved in an airtight container in the fridge for one week. Reheat in the microwave.

posted by jessica at 11:09 AM Filed under Chinese, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.