To be honest, I haven’t cooked this dish in many, many years. The idea to make it for dinner came out of the blue. When I tasted it, I can’t tell you how much this reminds me of my childhood, and how much I’ve missed it without even realising it.
Many cuisines have their version of stuffed vegetables. This one is a Hakka Chinese dish where tofu and vegetables like bitter gourd (also known as bitter melon), aubergines, ladies fingers (okra), chillis or mushrooms are stuffed with either minced meat or fish paste or a combination of both. It can be steamed, braised or fried and served in a broth or without, in which case a sweet bean paste dipping sauce is served on the side.
In Asian culture, children are exposed to a variety of flavours from a very early age. As children, we eat everything our parents eat (blended or mashed up at first of course). There is no such thing as ‘kids’ food’. But we certainly had our favourites. And Yong Tau Fu was certainly one of them.
I’ve made it very similar to the way my mum used to make it, albeit with a couple of minor adaptations. She used to handchop the pork with her cleaver. I also prefer to make my own mince, but I usually get machine help. She also mixed shrimps or dried salted fish in the mince. I use a couple of chopped up anchovies in oil from a jar.
Yong Tau Fu restaurants in Malaysia usually offer different types of tofu and a large selection of vegetables that are stuffed with a combination of fish paste and minced meat. At home, my mum almost always made a combination of tofu, bitter gourd and chillis, sometimes aubergine. My favourite was the bitter gourd. Tofu can be found in health stores and your Asian grocer. For this dish, I used firm tofu like my mum used to, but you can also use soft ones (just be very careful handling them).
Depending on the size of your tofu (usually they come in rectangular blocks), halve them and then cut them into triangles. With a spoon or knife, scoop out the tofu to make a cavity for the stuffing. Go ahead and be generous with the stuffing because the meat will shrink in the cooking. The tofu you’ve scooped out can be added into the minced meat or you can make a no-meat version of the stuffing. Just add some breadcrumbs to 'bulk' it up. If you want, you can also add some chopped up button mushrooms to it.
I used a piece of pork filet mignon to make my mince, but you may use another cut if you prefer. Or you can buy ready minced pork from your trusted butcher. There is a little bit of chopped up fresh chillis in the mince but you can certainly leave this out, or add more if you like the heat.
I served this up with some rice and chilli sauce on the side, just the way we used to eat it growing up. You can see I ate well growing up.
You may swap the firm tofu for soft and the vegetables with different ones like mushrooms, bitter gourd, chilli or zucchini.
Yong Tau Fu
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4 to 6
Prep Time 20 mins/Cook Time 20 mins/Total Time 40 mins
1 large aubergine, peeled, halved and sliced thickly
1 kg firm tofu, cut in triangles, middle scooped out
1 tbsp cooking oil
For the Stuffing:
400 g minced pork
2 stalks spring onions, chopped
2 anchovies in oil, chopped
1 tbsp soya sauce
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil
1 egg
1 tbsp corn flour
1/2 or 1 whole red chilli, seeds removed, chopped
Salt and white pepper
Optional No-Meat Stuffing:
Leftover scooped out tofu
1 stalks spring onions, chopped
2 anchovies in oil, chopped
1 tbsp soya sauce
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil
1 egg
2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
1 tbsp corn flour
1/2 or 1 whole red chilli, seeds removed, chopped
Salt and white pepper
For the Broth:
300 ml water
1 tbsp light soya sauce
Salt and white pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Peel aubergines. If using large globe aubergines, cut in half lengthwise, then into thick slices. Soak in water.
Cut tofu blocks into triangles. Scoop out the centre to make a cavity for the stuffing. Put scooped out tofu aside to use with the minced meat or as an alternative meatless stuffing.
Mix the all the ingredients for the stuffing well until they come together like a thick paste.
Put generous amount of stuffing mix into the tofu cavity. Set aside.
Drain the aubergine that you have been soaking. Pat dry with paper towel.
Put stuffing in between two slices of aubergine like a sandwich.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan, add 1 tbsp cooking oil. Pan fry and lightly brown the aubergine sandwiches on both sides. Remove and place on paper towels.
Make small meatballs if there is any remaining mince left.
In a large pot, bring 300 ml water to boil, add 1 tbsp of soya sauce and a dash of white pepper. Add the stuffed tofu, aubergine and meatballs, cover and reduce heat to medium and simmer about 15 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Taste before seasoning with salt if necessary.
Serve with chilli sauce, Siracha or cut chillis.
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