Fried Traditional Hakka versions of yong tau foo consist of tofu cubes stuffed and heaped with minced meat (usually lamb or pork) and herbs, then fried until golden brown, or sometimes braised. Variations include usage of various condiments, including
eggplants,
shiitake mushrooms, and
bitter melon stuffed with the same meat paste. Traditionally, yong tau foo is served in a clear yellow bean stew along with the bitter melon and shiitake variants.
Soup Particularly in the Southeast Asian Hakka diaspora, the term
yong tau foo is used to describe a soup dish that substitutes minced meat with
fish paste. The base of the dish is various forms of tofu stuffed with fish paste, but it is now common to stuff vegetables like bitter melon,
okra, and
chilis with fish paste as well, and the soup can include other ingredients like
fish balls,
crab sticks,
cuttlefish, and
sausages. The foods are then sliced into bite-size pieces, cooked briefly in boiling broth and then served either in the broth as soup or with the broth in a separate bowl ("dry"). The dish is eaten with
chopsticks and a
soup spoon and can be eaten by itself or served with a bowl of
steamed rice,
noodles or
rice vermicelli. Another variation of this dish would be to serve it with
laksa gravy or
curry sauce. Essential accompaniments are a spicy, vinegary chili sauce, originally made with red
fermented bean curd and distantly similar in taste to
Sriracha sauce, and a distinctive brown
sweet bean sauce or
hoisin sauce for dipping. In Vietnam, particularly in southern regions, a similar dish known as
khổ qua cà ớt is popular. It consists of fish paste, locally referred to as
chả cá, which is stuffed into bitter melon, large chili peppers, fried tofu, eggplants, or tomatoes before being fried. This dish can be enjoyed on its own, dipped in a sauce, or served in a bowl with broth. ==Gallery==