Tomatoes and tofu are not ingredients that I’d ordinarily consider to be ideal partners. Because tofu is so neutral, I’d rather combine it with a rich sauce to make it pop. Lately, however, Speedy and I have been experimenting with tofu dishes and it seems that tossing tofu with tomatoes is not a bad idea at all. The trick is to use a whole lot of other ingredients, including spices and seasonings, to create a pleasing flavor and texture.
In this dish, thinly sliced pork, eggplants, tofu and chunky tomato sauce (homemade, of course) were tossed together to come up with a hearty meal that is, at the same time, not too heavy on the meat. The idea was borne in an attempt to make good use of tomato sauce left over from a pasta dish.
Recipe: Pork, tofu and eggplant stir fry
Ingredients
- 150 g. of pork (neck, tenderloin or butt will all work)
- about 1 tbsp. of patis (fish sauce)
- black pepper
- a generous pinch of sugar
- a 300-g. block of firm tofu
- 2 eggplants (the long Asian variety which are sweeter)
- 2 shallots
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 c. of chunky tomato sauce (see recipe for basic tomato sauce — just cook longer to make it chunky)
- about 1 and 1/2 c. of vegetable cooking oil
- finely sliced onion leaves, to garnish
Instructions
- Cut the pork into thin, thin slices — less than a quarter of an inch thick if you can manage it. Season with fish sauce, pepper and a bit of sugar. Set aside.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan.
- Cut the tofu into about 1 and 1/2 inch squares.
- Split the eggplants into halves vertically then cut into 3/4 inch slices.
- Chop the shallots and garlic.
- When the oil is hot, fry the tofu until golden (see tips for frying tofu). Dump into a colander and set aside.
- Reheat the oil and flash fry the eggplants for about a minute. Scoop out and drain on a stack of paper towels.
- Pour off the oil until only about a tablespoonful remains.
- Saute the shallots and garlic until fragrant. Add the pork slices and stir fry until the edges start to brown (thin slices of meat take a very short time to cook).
- Return the tofu and eggplants to the wok or frying pan. Pour in the tomato sauce. Toss and cook until everything is heated through.
- Turn off the heat. Taste and add more seasonings (fish sauce, sugar or pepper, or all of them), if needed.
- Sprinkle with onion leaves. Serve hot with rice.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 2 to 3
Hi connie hope you’re well. I just wanna ask if theres ever a right way to cook tofu. I find the tofu from the wet market too sour-ish… and the only way to get rid of the aftertaste is to fry to a crisp. Sometimes too crispy. Whar kind of tofu do you buy for stir-frying?
I buy from the supermarket. The brand we use is Masoya.
Hi Connie, I am looking for the recipe of mama cita’s chicken with pineapple, the one with wine and sticky sauce with pineapple.
Hi Edna, you might want to try Mama Sita’s website.
What a great recipe idea for eggplant and tofu. I buy the long variety in Asian groceries here in the USA. Some call them “Japanese eggplant”. They’re sweeter ! Will try this for dinner tonight. Thanks for sharing, Tita Connie!