Braised Pork-Stuffed Deep Fried Tofu

Tofu...the word usually drums up thoughts of blandness and veggie burgers.  In fact, in my household, tofu is something I usually have a hard time convincing my husband to eat.  I love it - so many of my favorite Chinese dishes are made with tofu - Ma Po Tofu for example - the classic spicy silken tofu and ground pork is well loved by Chinese people and one of my favorites.  Unfortunately, trying to convince my husband is another matter.  But lo and behold, this dish of braised pork-stuffed deep fried tofu is one that he loves!

Like many things, I truly believe that people who don't like tofu probably just haven't had it cooked in a way that they enjoy.  I for one, am not a fan of tofu veggie burgers, or meat substitutes made with tofu.  I personally do not understand why a vegetarian would want something to taste like meat if they're vegetarian so I don't like tofu being turned into substitutes for meat.  This isn't to say I'm against vegetarians or eating vegetarian, but then let's eat tofu the way it's meant to be eaten!  As tofu!

Tofu is a wonderful base to carry flavours - mostly because it is indeed bland by itself.  It is a product made of soy beans that have been pressed into blocks.  There are many many different types of tofu and if you go to an Asian store like T&T, you will find a whole fridge section dedicated just to tofu.  You can usually find tofu in a variety of firmness - silken or soft tofu, medium/regular tofu, firm tofu.  You can also find dessert tofu - a silken tofu flavoured with almonds, mango or just sugar and even tofu flavoured with Chinese five spice and other savoury types which usually come firm so you can slice and stir fry.  I love using silken tofu for soups and regular tofu for dishes like Ma Po Tofu (the slightly firmer texture makes it easier to stir fry).  But the problem I have with my husband, is not even necessarily the taste of tofu, but the texture.  He doesn't like the soft, slippery texture of silken or regular tofu.  So how am I to get him to eat an ingredient I love to use in Chinese cooking?

Enter deep fried tofu.  You can easily find this at all Asian stores and even Superstore (deli section by the noodles and other types of tofu).  Literally, this is just tofu that has been deep fried.  The outside is a nice golden color and the inside is airy (sometimes I call them tofu puffs).  The nice thing about deep fried tofu is that the outside doesn't have that slippery tofu texture my husband dislikes so much and since the inside is fairly hollow, it is just ripe for stuffing something I know my husband WILL like - savoury, rich ground pork.  Like a pork meatball inside a deep fried tofu skin.  The braising method gets the pork nice and succulent and the tofu just picks up all that porky yummy-ness (yes I said porky yummy-ness).  Can't even tell you're eating tofu!  I made this for dinner tonight and my husband helped himself to many seconds. :)

I usually like to braise the stuffed tofu with napa cabbage, wood ear and Chinese mushrooms together which just adds an earthy richness.  If you have a clay pot, this is the perfect dish to braise using a clay pot (essentially making this into a type of hot pot).  But if not, just your wok, skillet or some sort of pot will be just fine.  Enjoy this dish, I promise if you don't eat tofu, this is one tofu dish that you will eat!

BRAISED PORK-STUFFED DEEP FRIED TOFU

Ingredients:

1 package of deep-fried tofu, cut in half and make a hole inside each tofu half (to stuff pork into)
1 lb ground pork
1 stalk green onion, diced
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
3 Chinese mushrooms, reconstituted and chopped for the pork mixture + 5 Chinese mushrooms, reconstituted and sliced to braise with the tofu
3-4 whole wood ear mushrooms, sliced into large pieces
3-4 napa cabbage leaves, chopped into approximately 1-2 inch pieces

Seasonings:

1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp white pepper

Sauce:

2 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp chicken broth powder (Knorr brand)
1/4 tsp white pepper
6 tbsp water
1 tsp corn starch

Instructions:

1.  Mix ground pork with green onions, cilantro, chopped Chinese mushrooms and all the seasonings.
2.  Stuff the ground pork mixture into each of the deep fried tofu halves.  Be generous - make a nice mound over the tofu.
3.  Heat up the skillet on medium high heat with 2 tbsp of vegetable or peanut oil.
4.  Place pork-stuffed deep fried tofu meat-side down into the skillet to sear the meat for about 2 minutes.
5.  Put in chopped napa cabbage leaves, sliced Chinese mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms, 1/4 cup of water, all ingredients for sauce except water and corn starch, mix all ingredients together carefully, bring to a simmer and cover.  Braise on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
6.  While your tofu is braising, make corn starch slurry by mixing 1 tsp corn starch and 6 tbsp of water.
7.  After 10-15 min, mix the corn starch slurry into the mixture.  The sauce will thicken.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.  Serve with steamed rice.