Stuffed Tofu (Bakso Tahu Isi)

When I was living in Jakarta, this is one of the dish that I love to make. I would used about 16 - 20 pieces of firm tofu, then make the rest as meatballs. You can also add some soy bean into the soup, but be sure to soak the bean over night and cook until tender. See my recipe below and picture above for instructions.

INGREDIENTS:

SOUP: 5 cups chicken broth, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, 1 stem of scallion - cut into thin slices, a few pieces of cilantro leaves, vegetable oil for deep frying

STUFFED TOFU: 600 gr minced pork, 400 gr minced shrimp, 8 tablespoons of tapioca starch, 6 teaspoons of fish sauce, pepper, 2 pieces of eggs, 2 stems of scallions - cut into thin slices, a few pieces of cilantro leaves, 16 - 20 pieces of firm tofu (approximately 3 x 3 x 1.5 cm).

INSTRUCTIONS:

SOUP: Put the chicken broth, salt and pepper together then bring to boil. When finished, you can add the cut scallions and cilantro leaves on the soup.

STUFFED TOFU: Mix all ingredients together except the firm tofu. On each tofu, scoop out 1/2 teaspoon of tofu and put it aside (see picture above). Put the mixed pork meat into each hole, then add some to build tiny mountain on each tofu (see picture above). When finished putting the meat into all tofu, you can either deep fry or put the stuffed tofu into boiling soup. Then take the scooped out tofu, smashed it and mix it with the left over meat. Shape it like small balls then you can do the same thing to what you did with the stuffed tofu (deep fry or boil). I did the two versions, you can see them in the picture above.

Ready to serve. Enjoy!

TIPS: You will get 16 - 20 pieces of stuffed tofu and around 40 meatballs. You can store them in the freezer and put them in a boiling soup when ready to eat.