Braised tofu with tomato and pork mince
Sweet-sour tomatoes cooked down with a little pork mince into a glossy sauce for soft tofu — a weeknight favourite that's perfect spooned over rice.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Braise
- Easy
Why it suits you: As Start of Summer brings the heat, even a Balanced constitution benefits from clearing the heart and looking after the stomach. Tomatoes are in season, sweet-sour and appetising, tofu clears heat and a little pork mince adds savouriness; the saucy result goes beautifully with rice when the heat dulls your appetite.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 15 min- 1Score a cross on top of each tomato, blanch for 30 seconds, then peel and cut into chunks. Cut the tofu into large cubes and soak in lightly salted water for 5 minutes so it holds together.
- 2Mix the pork with a splash of the soy sauce. Heat the oil in a wok, fry the garlic until fragrant, then add the pork and stir-fry until it changes colour.
- 3Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften and release their juice, then add the rest of the soy sauce, the sugar and half a bowl of water and bring to the boil.
- 4Gently add the tofu and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes to soak up the flavour. Taste and add salt, thicken with the cornflour slurry and scatter with the spring onion.
Cautions
- Go easy on tomatoes if you have excess stomach acid or stomach pain; keep tofu moderate during a gout flare.
Chef's tips
- Cook the tomatoes until they've completely broken down before adding water for a rich, red sauce; soaking the tofu in salted water first stops it crumbling.
The TCM view
Tomatoes are sweet, sour and slightly cold; they generate fluids, quench thirst and aid digestion. Tofu is sweet and cool, clearing heat, moistening dryness, boosting qi and harmonising the middle. Pork is sweet, salty and neutral, nourishing yin and moistening dryness, while garlic is pungent and warm, warming the stomach and tempering the coolness of the tomatoes and tofu. Balanced between warm and cool — an everyday dish for a Balanced constitution.
