Recipe - Dau Hu Chien Sot Ca, Pan Fried Tofu in Tomato Sauce

It's been awhile since I actually made it to the kitchen to play chef. I have been spoiled rotten by my beloved lately. He is such a sweetheart :)

For personal reasons, I've been practicing vegetarianism(? is that even a word) and pretty much getting tired of all the carb-loaded cheesy food. I had a stocked fridge and I needed to cook everything before it goes bad. Today, I attempted Pan Fried Tofu in Tomato Sauce. I haven't made an authentic dish like this in awhile.

Like most females of my family, we hardly measure ingredients, you just "smell" and wing it.

Ingredients:

• 1 block of firm tofu
• Corn Starch Powder
• Paprika
• Black Pepper
• Salt
• Sugar
• Soy Sauce
• Tomatoes
• Chili Peppers
• Cilantro
• Oil

1. Pat dry the firm tofu block with paper towels after unpackaging. Try to squeeze as much water as you can without destroying the tofu block :)

2. Slice the tofu up in squares or rectangles. It's your preference, you can get fancy and slice into triangles if you prefer.

3. Mix the corn starch, a dash of salt, a dash of paprika, and black pepper together. Dip the slice tofu into this mixture to coat.

4. In a non-stick skillet, add vegetable oil and lightly pan fry the tofu pieces for about 3-5 per side. If you want an extra crunchy skin, feel free to deep fry the tofu pieces.

5. In a separate pan, dice up tomatoes, chili peppers (the more the more tastier, I used 6 in this one), add about 2 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and a dash of salt and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

6.  Once the tomato sauce thickens up, add the diced up cilantro and turn off the heat.

7. Move the pan fried tofu to a plate , pour the tomato sauce over it, and serve while hot with white rice.

My lover boy gave it 2 thumbs it.  I still haven't lost the touch after all!  Enjoy and let me know if you try this dish!