Vietnamese Tofu with Tomato Sauce (Đậu Sốt Cà Chua)

Step 1

Cut the tofu blocks in half lengthwise (so they're thinner and remove more moisture).

Step 2

Press out moisture from the tofu: the tofu on a plate, with a kitchen towel or paper towels above and below the tofu. Cover with another plate to slightly weigh it down to remove moisture for 20-30 minutes. This will help prevent the oil from splattering during frying.

Step 3

Fry the tofu. Heat a pot of oil to 300 F, then add 4-6 pieces of tofu at a time to fry until golden brown, making sure to move them around a bit right after adding so they don't stick. It should only be a few minutes each. Remove the fried ones to plate with paper towel to drain excess oil, and continue frying the rest until they're all fried.

Step 4

Slice the tomatoes into bite sized pieces, about 4-8 pieces per tomato. It will help them cook quicker too.

Step 5

In a new medium sized pot, add all the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil on high heat, then lower to simmer at 30% heat for about 10 minutes, or until tomatoes are cooked through and the liquid reaches your desired concentration.

Step 6

Taste the sauce at this point. See if it needs any more tomato paste, fish sauce, salt or sugar. If the tomatoes aren't super flavorful or ripe to start, I like to add more tomato paste, sugar, and maybe some salt at this point.

Step 7

Add the tofu to the pot, toss to combine. Keep mixing for a few minutes so the tofu warms up and soaks up some of the sauce. Retaste and adjust as necessary then top with sliced scallions and serve!