Golden-fried tofu soaks up the savory flavors of garlic, spring onion and fish sauce in this Vietnamese tomato sauce. Serve it with steamed rice for a simple, filling main course.
Đậu phụ sốt cà chua means tofu in tomato sauce. It’s a familiar Vietnamese home-style dish where firm tofu and tomatoes take center stage. The sauce isn’t meant to be a thick, long-simmered gravy: it stays light and juicy, so you can mix it with rice. Garlic gives it a warm base, spring onion adds a mild onion flavor, and fish sauce brings saltiness and umami. A little sugar rounds out the fresh tomato flavor without making the dish sweet.
Firm tofu is important here. Silken tofu will fall apart as soon as you fry the pieces or stir them into the sauce. Pat the tofu dry well and choose a block that holds its shape; extra-firm tofu works too. Frying the outside until golden gives the dish more texture and helps the pieces stay intact in the sauce. Use a large skillet and give the tofu time to form a crust before turning it. A few browned spots are enough; it doesn’t need to be crisp all over.
Ripe tomatoes have the freshest, fullest flavor in summer. Outside tomato season, firm, flavorful vine tomatoes work well; if your tomatoes are pale or watery, you can replace some with canned tomatoes. Let the sauce simmer a little longer, then taste before serving: canned tomatoes can taste more acidic. Fish sauce is a key ingredient, so this isn’t a vegetarian dish. For a vegetarian version, you can replace the fish sauce with light soy sauce, but the flavor will change; add it gradually and taste as you go.
Serve the tofu straight away with steamed jasmine rice so none of the loose sauce goes to waste. A bowl of cucumber or a simple vegetable on the side adds a fresh, crisp contrast, but the dish doesn’t need any extra garnish. Cover leftovers and refrigerate them within two hours, then use within two days. Reheat thoroughly in a pan over low heat; add a splash of water if the sauce has thickened in the fridge. Store the rice separately and cool it promptly too.
Rinse the rice until the water is mostly clear. Put the rice and 225 ml water in a pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the rice covered for another 10 minutes.
Pat the tofu dry and cut it into pieces about 2 cm across. Cut the tomatoes into small wedges. Finely chop the garlic. Thinly slice the spring onions, keeping the white and green parts separate.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the tofu in a single layer for 8–10 minutes, turning the pieces carefully now and then, until golden all over. Transfer to a plate.
Fry the white part of the spring onions and the garlic in the same pan for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes, until they soften and release their juices.
Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, water and black pepper. Let the sauce simmer gently for 5 minutes. Return the tofu to the pan and simmer for another 3–4 minutes, so the sauce stays juicy and the tofu soaks up the flavors.
Spoon the tofu and tomato sauce over the rice and scatter the green part of the spring onions on top.
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