Juicy tomatoes are hollowed and steamed with well seasoned tofu crumbs. These tofu-stuffed tomatoes are then served with a scrumptious sweet and sour sauce.
Stand the tomatoes on a chopping board. Slice the tops off the tomatoes. Scoop out the pulp with a small spoon (keep it in a bowl for later use).
Drain the tofu then crumble it with your fingers (or with a fork). In a bowl, mix the tofu, chopped shiitake mushroom, ginger and all the seasonings for the stuffing.
Fill the tomato shells with the stuffing mixture. Top up the tomatoes with the remaining stuffing to form a nice round top.
Place stuffed tomatoes into a steamer (see note 3). Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
While waiting, prepare the sauce. Discard the hard lumps in the pulp of the tomatoes. Keep the juice (and the seeds). Heat up the oil in a sauce pan over a medium heat. Stir in spring onion then fry until fragrant. Add the juice, soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine, salt and sugar. Bring it to a boil. Pour in the starch & water mixture (stir well beforehand). Cook until the sauce has the desired thick consistency.
When the stuffed tomatoes are cooked, place them onto serving plates. Pour the sauce over. Sprinkle some chopped spring onion as a garnish.
Notes
1. How to rehydrate dried shiitake mushrooms: soak them in cold water for at least 8 to 12 hours (depends on the size) until very soft. Trim and discard the stem before chopping.2. I use dried shiitake mushrooms for its unique aroma. You may substitute them with other mushrooms (preferably wild ones). It’s also a great idea to use minced meat or chopped raw prawns to replace mushrooms.3. If you don’t have a steamer to hand, you can use a regular wok to achieve the same effect. Here is the procedure:
Place all the stuffed tomatoes onto a plate. Put a small bowl in the middle of a wok.
Fill the wok with hot water (lower than the bowl).