Stir-Fried Pork and Spicy Tofu

It wasn’t until I came to Viet Nam that I truly experienced the wonders of tofu. Several years of seeing it used as a meat substitute had turned me off to the notion of eating the chunks of coagulating soy milk. I wasn’t converted instantly; the first time I ate the stuff in Viet Nam was by accident. I’d ordered it in a Bia Hoi joint, not knowing what it was (even though the Vietnamese word for “tofu,” “đậu phụ,” sounds very similar). The server brought to the table a plate of large uncooked tofu cubes topped with giant mint leaves. I tried it, didn’t like it, and washed it down with my skunked beer. (That meal turned out to be delicious, however, as the next dish they brought out wound up being a plate full of beef.) It wasn’t until I tried fried tofu in tomato sauce that I was converted. Finally, tofu that wasn’t bland or posing as meat-in-disguise. Since then, I’ve happily ordered tofu and have raved about my experiences. Now that I’ve come all the way to Viet Nam to work through my bias, I’ll happily join you, my vegetarian and vegan friends, for a tofu dinner.

So it was without hesitation that I seconded Erin’s motion to prepare a spicy tofu dish for dinner on Thursday night. Along with the tofu we cooked up stir-fried pork with peanuts, lime, and basil. Our side was pickled carrot strips.

stir-fried pork over rice with carrots and greens