Tofu In Fish Sauce

I've always thought it would be wonderful to spend hours and hours absorbing cooking techniques and recipes from Mom, the way Vietnamese cooking was traditionally learned. But alas, we never get the chance.

While she was staying with us to take care of the baby, I did get a chance to videotape her a few times. Here's one of my favorite dishes. The preparation is simple, but you have to watch her do it to really get the nuances of technique, timing, and ordering of work.

Tofu In Fish Sauce from Luu Pham on Vimeo.

Additional tips:

1) Press as much water as you can out of the tofu before cutting it. I put the tofu on a plate, then place another plate on top of it and a heavy mortar and pestal on top of that plate and let sit for an hour.

2) Fill pan with vegatable oil to a depth such that when all the tofu are added, the oil does not quite overflow the tops of the tofu pieces.

3) Start by placing tofu in center of skillet first.

4) Leave a margin between the tofu and edge of skillet or pot that is 1-2 tofu widths.

5) Place tofu flat rather than tall.