Crispy Tofu Puff Meatballs

Many years ago I used to faithfully follow Agnes Chang's cooking show. I can't remember the name of the show but it has Agnes cooking for her screen family. I would sit in front of the TV with my notebook in hand to jot down the recipes.  And now I don't know where I put the notebook hah! hah! One the recipes I remember was a stuffed tofu puff dish where the tofu puffs are cut, inverted, filled and deep fried.

Minced meat mixture

Stuffed tofu puffs.

What reminded me of this recipe was Lena's Stuffed Tofu GuangXi Style during the MFF Pahang event. So I set out to make my version of the stuffed tofu puffs based on what I remembered. I used minced pork, prawns, onions, garlic, coriander, sesame oil, fish sauce and lots of pepper. You could use minced chicken instead of pork if you prefer. 

To flip the tofu puffs, just slice off the top or make a slit on top and carefully flip the tofu puff inside out to create a pouch. It is much easier to handle and makes for better presentation of you slice off the top instead of making a slit. I basically didn't want to waste and went with the slit method instead.

I usually avoid deep frying but I guess once in a while it is OK, I love the crispy crunch of deep fried foods and it tastes especially good dipped in chilli sauce. I served the tofu puff meatballs with Thai Chilli Sauce topped with a sprinkling of coriander leaves. You must serve this dish immediately so that the tofu puffs remain crispy. So it is best to fry just before serving.

To get better organised, you could stuff the tofu puffs a few hours in advance and store it in the fridge. Take it out to come to room temperature before frying.

Crispy Tofu Puff Meatballs

Recipe Source : Phong Hong as inspired by Agnes Chang

Ingredients :

- 400g minced pork

- 10 medium sized prawns, peeled and chopped into smaller peices

- 1 large onion, finely minced

- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

- A generous handful of corriander leaves, finely chopped

- 2 tablespoons fish sauce

- 1 teaspoon sesame oil

- 1 egg

- generous dash of pepper

- 20 tofu puffs

- oil for deep frying

Method :

1. Combine minced pork, prawns, onion, garlic, corriander leaves, fish sauce, sesame oil, egg and pepper. Set aside.

2. Blanch tofu puffs in hot water to remove excess oil. Rinse and squeeze out as much water as you can.

3. Slice off the top of each tofu puff and carefully flip it inside out to form pouches.

4. Using a  teaspoon, fill each puff with the minced meat mixture.

5. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown and crispy.

6. Serve immediately.

I liked the crispy crunch of the Tofu Puff Meatballs and it tasted pretty good. I would say that this dish is very versatile as you could use any other ingredient that you like for example crab meat, salted duck egg yolk, water chestnut and many more.

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.