Vietnamese Fried Tofu & Pork in Tomato Sauce (Dau Hu Thit Sot Ca Chua)

Watch Now: How to Make Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Pork in Tomato Sauce (Dau Hu Thit Sot Ca Chua)

The first time I tried tofu, it was when I was a kid and it was straight out of the package (mom wasn't looking and I snuck a taste). I didn't touch this abomination of food again until much, much later in life when I finally figured out cooking. I was completely taken aback when I added tofu in my kids' dinner the other night. I expected the same reaction but it turned out, they actually liked it! In fact, they exclaimed, "This is the best food ever!" Score for mom!

Tofu is great to have on hand when you need protein in a pinch. Honestly, I looked to tofu in early adulthood because I was lazy to prep meat. So for once, laziness paid off towards eating healthy. Tofu is a blank canvas so eating it plain is never recommended. It is best fried and paired with a bold sauce, such as spicy tomato or teriyaki.

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Pork in Tomato Sauce (Dau Hu Thit Sot Ca Chua)

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Pork in Tomato Sauce (Dau Hu Thit Sot Ca Chua)

Tofu comes in a variety of firmness. I like to use silken tofu in soups. My favorite is spicy kimchi soup with silken tofu. It is loaded with flavors. I use medium firm tofu in mild soups as Vietnamese Tofu and Garlic Chive Soup (Canh Dau Hu He). And I like to fry up firm tofu and pair it with tomato sauce (Dau Hu Sot Ca Chua), a very common Vietnamese side dish that goes great with steamed rice. The latter was what we had for dinner the other night that the kids loved. To further win them over, I added ground pork. Mission accomplished.

Ground pork, Tomatoes, Tofu, Garlic & Green Onions

Ground pork, Tomatoes, Tofu, Garlic & Green Onions

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Pork in Tomato Sauce Recipe (Dau Hu Thit Sot Ca Chua)

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

  • 1 package firm tofu (16 oz)

  • 4 oz ground pork

  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

  • 12 oz ripe tomatoes (diced)

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1 tablespoon ketchup

  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 1 green onion (sliced thinly; whites and greens separated)

Instructions

  1. Remove tofu from package. Rinse, drain, and wrap it in 3 layers of paper towels. Apply pressure to squeeze out the excess liquid then unwrap. Make a horizontal cut exactly in the middle and 5 even vertical cuts. This will yield 12 flat square pieces of tofu.

  2. Season ground pork with oyster sauce, garlic and whites of green onions.

  3. In a medium-sized pan, heat vegetable oil on medium high. Fry the tofu until golden brown on the top and bottom sides (3 to 4 minutes per side). Remove tofu from pan and set aside.

  4. To the empty skillet, add the marinated ground pork and cook for about 2 minutes, while breaking it up.

  5. Add tomatoes and water. Let the tomatoes simmer on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Season with ketchup, fish sauce and ground black pepper. Return fried tofu back to the pan. Give it a quick stir and garnish with remaining green onions.

Dau Hu Thit Sot Ca Chua

Dau Hu Thit Sot Ca Chua