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Prep time
30 minutes
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Cook time
45 minutes
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Serves
4
Author Notes
I saw mention of this version of the popular Philippine dish at pepper.ph
The original street food is a basic pork dish (chopped pork pieces, including sometimes head and liver) sauteed in vinegar with vegetables, served on a hot skillet and topped with an egg (that cooks on the hot food). The more accessible (think: Applebee’s) version is featured at the pepper.ph site, a restaurant adaptation of vegetables in a sauce mixed with crispy tofu. I took a tip from Chinese cuisine and merged a few ideas into my own version. —Brian Coppola
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Ingredients
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16 ounces
firm tofu, chopped into small cubes (ca. < ½ inch)
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1/2 pound
ground meat (ground brisket or ground pork sausage)
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1/2 pound
good thick-cut bacon (chopped into small pieces)
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4 tablespoons
minced garlic
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4 tablespoons
minced ginger
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4 tablespoons
light soy sauce
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4 tablespoons
Chinese (Shaoxing) cooking wine
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6
small hot (red) peppers, diced
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2
red bell peppers, diced
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1
large sweet onion, diced
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1
bunch scallion, chopped
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4 tablespoons
mayonnaise
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3 tablespoons
chicken or vegetable broth
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cornstarch
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peanut oil
Directions
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Blanch the tofu cubes for a few minutes. Transfer to a strainer and then to paper towels to remove the excess water. Move to fresh (dry) paper towels on a baking tray. Liberally coat the tofu with cornstarch.
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Make the sauce: combine 2T soy, 2T wine, broth, 2T garlic, 2T ginger, and 1T cornstarch in a small bowl (or measuring cup).
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Combine the ground meat in a mixing bowl with 2 T cooking wine, 2 T garlic, 2 T ginger, and 2 T soy. Mix well.
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Cook the chopped bacon until crispy. Add the ground meat to the bacon, break up and cook well. Reserve the meat mixture; keep the remaining fat.
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In a second pan, saute the onions some oil. Fry the tofu as these caramelize.
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Add about ¼ inch of peanut oil to the remaining fat. Heat to 350F. Add the chopped and coated tofu in two batches; fry until crisp. Reserve tofu in a strainer.
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As the onions get to about ¾ done towards soft and lightly caramelized, add the diced peppers and continue to cook. When the peppers soften, add the scallions. Add the mayo to the sauce, and transfer the sauce to the vegetable pan. Mix well.
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Add the meat and the tofu. Mix well. Cook low to rewarm and serve.
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