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Chinese stuffed tofu is tender with a juicy pork filling, cooked in a fragrant brown sauce. It pairs beautifully with rice to make a delicious and nutritious meal. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Stuffed Tofu (囊豆腐)

By Maggie Zhu
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Chinese stuffed tofu is tender with a juicy pork filling, cooked in a fragrant brown sauce. It pairs beautifully with rice to make a delicious and nutritious meal. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Ingredients

  • 1 block medium tofu (14-oz block)

Filling

  • 1 dried shiitake mushroom , yields 1 tablespoon once rehydrated and minced
  • 4 oz ground pork
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger , minced
  • 1 scallion , thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sauce

Tofu

  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 1 scallion , sliced
  • 1/2 thumb ginger , minced
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Cover the shiitake mushroom with warm water. Soak until turning tender throughout, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and discard the stem. Finely mince the mushroom and transfer to a medium sized bowl.
  • Add the ground pork, ginger, scallion, oyster sauce and cornstarch into the bowl with mushroom. Mix in a circular motion until sticky.
  • Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and side aside.
  • To slice tofu, let the tofu stand on the long narrow side. Cut the tofu vertically across the block into two large thin pieces. Then further cut each piece into four cubes (so you get a total of 8 pieces). Use a paring knife to carve out a smaller rectangle in the center of the tofu, leaving about 1/4” (3mm) on the edges, so it’s easier to scoop out the tofu. (see the images above for reference) Use the back of a small spoon to scoop the center to form a dent for the filling. Pack filling into each tofu piece until it’s level with the tofu (*Footnote 1).
  • Add 1 tablespoon oil into a large nonstick skillet. Carefully transfer the tofu onto a spatula one piece at a time, filling side down, and slowly slide it into the skillet. Turn on medium-high heat. Sear the tofu until the meat has turned golden brown, 4 minutes or so. Check occasionally for pork doneness. Flip the tofu to brown the other side, 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly golden.
  • Move the tofu to one side of the pan. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, scallion, ginger and garlic to the other side. Stir a few times to release fragrance.
  • Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Pour it into the skillet. Stir the sauce between the gaps of the tofu pieces rapidly, and cook until the sauce has thickened. Transfer the tofu onto a serving plate, then pour the sauce over the tofu. Serve hot as a main dish.

Notes

  1. You might have some leftover meat filling. That’s totally OK and try not to over stuff the tofu. You can simply shape the filling into a meatball and cook it together with the tofu.
  2. To make the dish gluten-free: use tamari to replace soy sauce, and make sure to use a gluten-free oyster sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 203kcal, Carbohydrates: 7.5g, Protein: 11.9g, Fat: 14.7g, Saturated Fat: 3.4g, Cholesterol: 19mg, Sodium: 635mg, Potassium: 195mg, Fiber: 1.3g, Sugar: 2g, Calcium: 135mg, Iron: 2mg