vietnamese: dau phu kho dua (thom)
6-8 small to medium dried shiitake mushrooms
8-10 oz firm (="regular") tofu
1 T sugar
1 T vegetable oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t minced ginger
dash of salt
dash of pepper
1/2 c chopped fresh pineapple (or use canned pineapple, drained)
2 T soy sauce
a little chopped cilantro
1. soak mushrooms all day or overnight, then drain (but save the water) and cut off stems.
2. cut tofu into 1-inch cubes, blot the water off with paper towels, and pan-fry (or deep-fry) lightly in oil until just golden, then blot the oil off with fresh paper towels.
3. add the sugar and 1 teaspoon of water to a traditional vietnamese/chinese clay pot* (or glass pot, or heavy-bottomed metal pot), and heat on medium-low until light brown, stirring (2-3 min).
4. add oil, garlic and ginger, and stir for about a minute.
5. add tofu, mushrooms, salt and pepper, and stir gently.
6. add pineapple, soy sauce and 2 T of the mushroom water from step 1. cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, then uncover and simmer until liquid is mostly gone .
7. stir gently, then sprinkle cilantro on top. you can serve it right in the clay pot, and eat it with rice. enjoy!
* be nice to your clay pot. don't use high heat, and don't "shock" it with a lot of cold water until it's somewhat cooled. otherwise it might crack.
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