Sausage Stuffed Tofu
Crispy on the edges and soft and creamy on the inside, this fried tofu is stuffed with spicy Italian sausage! The sausage is savory with a hint of heat that pairs so well with the tofu. I topped it with a bbq sauce that really brought the whole plate together in a unique and amazing way!
When I was frying some tofu one day, I noticed that it sticks together really easily. As the tofu cooks, it basically binds to any other tofu cooking nearby. This gave me the idea to one day stuff cubes of tofu, considering that whatever the stuffing may be, the tofu would hold it in nicely. When I decided to actually attempt it, I found out that there is a Chinese dish called Hakka Style Tofu! I checked out some of the recipes and then made some fun twists to make it my own.
Prepare the tofu
Tofu usually comes in a 14oz brick that is the perfect size to make 6 equal sized cubes to be stuffed with sausage. After you cut the cubes, you can make a few cuts with a paring knife to create a nice square in the middle. Then you can scoop out the insides with a small spoon!
Line up the tofu cubes and dust them with a little cornstarch. This will help the sausage stick inside.
Stuffing the tofu with sausage
Press the sausage inside the tofu cubes. It is a tough line to walk between making sure the tofu is very stuffed with sausage but also making sure the edges don’t crack! In this photo you can see some of the edges broke a bit. It was not a big deal at all. I made sure to add a little cornstarch to those areas. Also as the tofu cooks it will re-stick to itself.
Fry the sausage stuffed tofu
Start with the tofu sausage side down in the pan. Every 3-5 minutes, flip them to a new side until you cook all 6 sides evenly.
Serving the sausage stuffed tofu
Line up the sausage stuffed tofu on a plate and drizzle with the bbq sauce. The sauce is store bought bbq sauce with some hoisin, soy sauce, chili paste, worcestershire, honey, and cider vinegar.
Next, top them with the parsley and pickled onion! For the onion, I just put it in a jar with some vinegar, garlic, and salt for 24 hours.
These sausage stuffed tofu were so good! Such a fun little app! A unique combo of flavors that felt familiar at the same time!
I could imagine this going well at any get together.
Twists on this recipe
My first plan for the tofu stuffing was going to be a ground pork and jalapeno mixture, so I think something like that would be awesome instead of sausage. You could also do a vegan version with meat substitutes. This is actually a great recipe for a vegan version!
If you are looking for a traditional hakka style tofu, this is a great recipe.
For more tofu recipes, check out my mapo tofu burrito, or this tofu bun burger!
Sausage Stuffed Tofu
Equipment
Ingredients
Tofu
- 2 14 oz packages extra firm tofu
- 1/2 pound hot Italian sausage
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Sauce
- 1/2 cup your fave BBQ sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons sambal chili paste
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Garnish
- chopped parsley
- pickled red onion
- gochugaru
Instructions
- Cut the tofu in half the long way, and then into thirds the short way, to create 6 equal sized cubes of tofu from each 14oz brick, giving you 12 tofu cubes total.
- Some of the edges of the tofu are more firm than others, so find a softer edge and cut a square into it with a pairing knife. Use a small spoon or melon baller to scoop out the insides of the tofu cube, being careful not the break any of the fragile sides or bottom.
- Line up all the tofu cubes next to each other. Fill a mesh strainer with the cornstarch and tap it to dust the tofu evenly with cornstarch. This step will help the sausage stay firmly stuck inside the tofu.
- Press some sausage into each tofu cavity. Push it in tight but again be careful not to fracture the tofu walls.
- Preheat a nonstick pan over high heat with some oil. Add the tofu cubes sausage side down. Cook about 3-5 minutes on that side to fully brown. Flip them all to the next side and continue to cook, flipping every 3-5 minutes, until all 6 sides of each cube are lightly golden.
- As they cook, mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Line up the cooked tofu on a plate. Drizzle with the sauce. Top with the parsley and pickled onion. Serve.
So, I guess you could call this… Tofurkey. Yeeaaah!
Anyway, this looks good, especially your new blue wood background table settings.
Nice – looks good.
I live in Vietnam where tofu stuffed with a minced meat mixture is a very common, and delicious, dish. Usually it’s pork with cat ear mushrooms as a stuffing, then fried and cooked in a rough tomoato sauce – delicious on plain white rice.