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Sawaddee ka Yum Club! I like to think of dish as the Thai version of mapo tofu…and though I’m not 100% sure, I think Thai people created this dish based on the idea of mapo tofu. As always, I go into more context in the video tutorial in the recipe card!
It is called taohu song kreuang and is very popular with families with kids because it is not spicy. I loved it as a kid and still do! It is made with soft tofu with a meat sauce poured on top. Most commonly we would use egg tofu for this, but regular tofu works fine. The meat sauce is typically made from pork, though chicken or turkey would be great, and optionally you can add chopped up shrimp to give it some textural variety.
It's not spicy, but is well balanced and flavourful. It has lots of vegetables to lighten it up!
Some tips:
- Feel free to change up the veg, but I recommend keeping the tomatoes for flavour.
- You don't need to add the shrimp,you can do all ground pork or ground chicken/turkey.
- You can adjust the ratio of veg to meat. It can be more meat heavy,or it can be more veg heavy. If you want a vegetarian version,see my steamed tofu deluxe recipe.
Soft Tofu with Pork and Shrimp Gravy (Taohu Song Krueng)
This is the Thai version of mapo tofu! Soft tofu in a sauce made with ground pork or chicken,shrimp,and any kind of vegetables you like. A great fridge cleanout recipe that's also kid friendly!
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IngredientsÂ
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The Rest
- 2-3Tablespoonsneutral oil
- 1tubeegg tofu or soft soy tofu (about 250 g per tube),cut in ¾-inch thick pieces (see note 1)
- 4clovesgarlic,chopped
- ½cupdiced carrots
- ½cupdiced onion
- 1teaspoonfish sauce
- 8ozground pork,or ground chicken
- 1cupdiced crunchy veg of your choice,see note 2
- 8oztomatoes,small diced
- White pepper,to taste
- 150gshrimp,(optional) chopped into small pieces,or use more ground pork
- Chopped cilantro or green onions,for garnish
- Jasmine rice,for serving
Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use (affiliate)
Notes
- I love using egg tofu for this,which comes in a tube and can be found at any Asian grocery store where tofu is sold. You can also use soft tofu that comes in a similar tube,or you can use soft tofu blocks.
- For crunchy veg,I used celery and kohlrabi,but other options are green beans,broccoli (especially the stems),cauliflower,or baby corn.Â
FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL
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InstructionsÂ
Make the sauce by combining the oyster sauce,soy sauce,Chinese cooking wine,sugar and water in a small bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. In another small bowl,dissolve the tapioca starch in a splash of water (a couple of tablespoons or so). Set aside.
1 tablespoon oyster sauce,1 tablespoon soy sauce,1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine,1 teaspoon granulated sugar,2 tablespoons water,2 teaspoons tapioca starch
Optional step:Pan fry the tofu.In a nonstick pan or wok,add enough oil to thoroughly cover the bottom and heat until hot over medium high heat. Add the tofu pieces and sear until golden on each side,3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and place them in a shallow serving bowl.
2-3 Tablespoons neutral oil,1 tube egg tofu or soft soy tofu (about 250 g per tube)
In the same pan,pour our excess oil if necessary so you have just a little bit to coat the bottom. On medium high heat,add the garlic,onions,carrots and the fish sauce and saute for a few minutes until the onions are translucent.
4 cloves garlic,½ cup diced carrots,½ cup diced onion,1 tsp fish sauce
Add the ground pork and stir to break it up into small pieces,then add all the remaining vegetables,the tomatoes,the soy sauce mixture (not the starch slurry) and the white pepper. Cook,stirring frequently,until the tomatoes are mushy and have released most of their juices,and the vegetables are done to your liking.
8 oz ground pork,1 cup diced crunchy veg of your choice,8 oz tomatoes,White pepper
Stir the tapioca starch slurry as it will have settled,then pour about half of it into the pan while stirring. The sauce should thicken up immediately and reaches full thickening power once the sauce returns to a boil. You can add the other half of the slurry if you feel it needs more thickening.
Add the chopped shrimp (if using),and cook just until the shrimp is done. If it looks like it needs more liquid,add a splash of water. If you opted not to fry the tofu,put the tofu into the sauce now and let it simmer in the sauce to heat up for a couple of minutes.
150 g shrimp
Turn off the heat and do a final seasoning check,adding more soy sauce or fish sauce (in my case I added Golden Mountain Sauce) as desired.
Plate. If you fried the tofu,ladle the sauce over the fried tofu. Garnish with cilantro or green onions if you wish and serve with jasmine rice.
Chopped cilantro or green onions,Jasmine rice