With dau hu nhoi thit, the difficulty is keeping the tofu whole. Tofu that goes into the braising sauce before its surface has set will fall apart, and loosely packed filling bursts out in the pan.
The tofu scooped out of the middle goes straight back into the pork filling, which makes it softer and wastes nothing. The blocks are fried golden on every side before they braise gently for 10 to 15 minutes. This one belongs at a family dinner.
This batch weighs about 1.8kg, at roughly 114 calories per 100g.
Method
Soak 4 wood ear mushrooms in warm water for 15 minutes until plump, rinse and chop finely. Mince the shallot and garlic. Separate the spring onion, mincing the white parts and finely slicing the greens.
Mix 200g ground pork with the wood ear, minced spring onion whites, half the minced shallot and garlic, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, then leave for 15 minutes.
Rinse the tofu, drain, cut each block in half and scoop a hollow in the middle. Stir the scooped tofu into the filling, then pack the filling into each block.
Heat 3 tablespoons cooking oil in a pan and fry the tofu over medium heat until golden on all sides and the filling is just cooked, then lift onto a paper lined plate.
Pour off most of the oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon, and fry the remaining shallot and garlic until fragrant.
Mix the sauce from 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 100ml water, pour it into the pan and bring to a boil.
Arrange the fried tofu in the pan, lower the heat and braise for 10 to 15 minutes, spooning the sauce over the top now and then.
Once the sauce has thickened, taste and adjust, scatter over the sliced spring onion and a little pepper, then turn off the heat.
Tips
The tofu scooped from the middle goes back into the filling, which softens it and wastes nothing.
A low flame with the sauce spooned over repeatedly is what flavors the tofu without breaking it.
Hollow each piece leaving walls about a finger joint thick, as thinner walls split in the pan.
A gentle press to drain the tofu before frying means less spitting oil and an even golden surface.
Filling packed in generously and pressed down firmly stays put during frying.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.