Tofu and Pork are a Perfect Match: A Delicious and Nutritious Spring Dish

Tofu and it are a perfect match, let's braise them together, it's fragrant and nutritious, it's good to make a lot in spring for kids. During long home stays, when purchasing, we choose ingredients that are easy to store and preserve, fresh ingredients need to be eaten quickly, tofu is one of them. Our family really loves tofu, we often buy tofu to eat every few days. If there are soybeans and materials at home, we can also make tofu ourselves. Tofu is one of the bean products, rich in plant protein, with a fresh, fragrant and tender taste, and is known as 'meat from plants'.

Tofu is not only delicious but also very nutritious, in addition to containing abundant protein, it also contains iron, magnesium, potassium and other trace elements, which is very beneficial for the absorption of the human body. Tofu's digestive absorption rate is over 95%. The calcium content is particularly abundant. Two pieces of tofu can meet a person's daily calcium needs. The price is also very affordable, it's a cost-effective nutritious ingredient. During this special period, we bought some when purchasing, and made a family favorite – Braised Tofu with Meat. We haven't eaten this for a long time during home stays, and we miss the taste very much.

​We locals love to eat braised vegetables, many ingredients can be used to make braised dishes. Braised Tofu is one of the classic braised dishes. The best partner for braised tofu is pork. Let's chop the pork into small pieces and mix it with seasonings for marinating, then stuff it into the tofu, it can be steamed or braised, each has its own flavor. Here we share Braised Tofu with Meat, using fresh, tender tofu. First, fry both sides until golden brown, then add the filling and a little water to braise until it's cooked through, finally drizzle the concentrated sauce on the tofu. It's tender, fragrant and delicious, easy to make, and the whole family loves it. Tofu and it are a natural pair, it's good to make a lot in spring for kids, it's fragrant and nutritious, and easy to make. Let's take a look at the detailed method next.

Ingredients: 2 pieces of tofu, a suitable amount of pork, 2 dried mushrooms, 2 horse radishes (bitter gourd), garlic, scallions and a little onion (optional). (We suggest choosing pork with 3 parts fat and 7 parts lean meat for a more fragrant and tender meat filling).

Seasoning: appropriate amount of oil and salt, appropriate amount of soy sauce, appropriate amount of oyster sauce, a little pepper, a little cornstarch.

1 Soak the dried mushrooms in water for a while, then wash them and set them aside.

2 Prepare a small bowl to make the seasoning, add oyster sauce, soy sauce and cornstarch, add a little water and stir until smooth.

3 Wash the pork, chop it into small pieces, slice the horse radish, slice the dried mushrooms, mix all the ingredients together, add soy sauce, oyster sauce and pepper.

4 Mix the meat filling and ingredients together and marinate for a while.

5 Cut the tofu into small square blocks, wash them and hollow out a hole in the middle, smear a little cornstarch on the inside (smearing cornstarch helps the meat filling stick better and prevents it from scattering when cooked).

6 Stuff the meat filling into the tofu, then smear a little cornstarch on the surface to shape it.

7 The remaining tofu can be made in the same way, the hollowed tofu can be put together to braise, or cut into pieces and mixed with the meat filling to make the filling, it's also very good.

8 Heat a pot and add oil, fry the tofu until golden brown on both sides.

9 Push the tofu to one side, add garlic, scallions and chopped onion to sauté until fragrant.

10 Add appropriate amount of oyster sauce, soy sauce and appropriate amount of mushroom soaking water.

11 Cover the pot and simmer until cooked through.

12 Take out the braised tofu and arrange it on a plate.

14 Boil the remaining sauce in the pot with the prepared seasoning, pour it on the tofu, and it's done.

Served on the table, this home-style version of Braised Tofu with Meat is ready. The tofu now absorbs a lot of flavor, you can bite into it and taste the fragrance of the meat filling, the tofu surface is fragrant and browned, the inside is tender and smooth, it's very appetizing, delicious and satisfying, plant protein paired with animal protein, it's healthy and delicious. We often make it during this special period for the family to supplement nutrition, enhance immunity, it's easy to make and delicious, it's suitable for all ages.

Lily Food Talk Little Tips:

1 We suggest choosing pork with 3 parts fat and 7 parts lean meat to pair, which makes the meat filling fragrant and tender, not woody.

2 The tofu can be made with oil tofu or fresh tender tofu, you can use a spoon to hollow out a hole in the middle and use the scooped out tofu to mix with the meat filling, it's also very good.

3 When stuffing the pork into the tofu, smear a little cornstarch on the inside and outside, this helps the meat filling stick better to the tofu and prevents it from scattering when cooked.