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Tahu Isi (Stuffed Fried Tofu)
Serves 4 Prep 30 min Cook 20 min Total 50 min Type Snack Origin Indonesian

Tahu Isi (Stuffed Fried Tofu)

Indonesia's warung snack: firm tofu triangles hollowed and stuffed with stir-fried carrot, cabbage and beansprouts, battered and fried golden.

Serves 4 Prep 30 minutes Cook 20 minutes Units Rate

Overview

Firm tofu blocks halve crossways into triangles. A small slit cuts into each triangle to make a pocket. Vegetable filling stir-fries quickly with shallot, garlic, soy sauce and a pinch of sugar; cools. Pockets stuff with filling. Stuffed tofu dips into a thin rice-flour batter; fries in moderately hot oil 3-4 minutes till crisp gold all over. Eats hot with whole fresh chillies on the side and a saucer of sweet-soy dip.

Ingredients

Tofu

  • 6 blocks firm tofu (about 100 g each)

Filling

  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil
  • 2 shallots (finely diced)
  • 4 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 20 g fresh ginger (minced)
  • 1 carrot (medium, julienned fine)
  • 150 g savoy (or napa cabbage, shredded)
  • 100 g mung bean sprouts
  • 2 spring onions (sliced thin)
  • 1 tablespoon kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground white pepper

Batter

  • 80 g rice flour
  • 40 g plain flour
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 garlic clove (grated to paste)
  • 1 spring onion (very finely sliced)
  • 150 ml cold water

Frying

  • 600 ml neutral oil

To serve

  • 12 fresh bird's-eye chillies (whole, on the side)
  • Kecap manis (for dipping)
  • Cucumber slices

Method

Stage 1 - Prep tofu

  1. Halve each tofu block diagonally to make 2 triangles (12 triangles total).
  2. Press gently between paper towels to absorb surface moisture.
  3. With a small sharp knife, cut a 4 cm slit into the long side of each triangle, working the blade in to create a pocket without piercing through.

Stage 2 - Filling

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or wide pan over high heat.
  2. Add shallot, garlic, ginger; stir-fry 1 minute.
  3. Add the julienned carrot; stir-fry 1 minute.
  4. Add the shredded cabbage; stir-fry 2 minutes.
  5. Add the bean sprouts and spring onion; stir-fry 30 seconds.
  6. Stir in kecap manis, soy sauce, salt, pepper; toss; cook 30 seconds.
  7. Tip onto a plate; cool 10 minutes.

Stage 3 - Stuff

  1. Take a tofu triangle; open the pocket gently.
  2. Push 1-2 tablespoons of filling into the pocket.
  3. Don't overfill (the tofu cracks).
  4. Repeat for the rest.

Stage 4 - Batter

  1. Whisk both flours, turmeric, salt, garlic paste and sliced spring onion.
  2. Whisk in cold water until smooth.
  3. The batter should be thin - like single cream.

Stage 5 - Fry

  1. Heat the oil to 175°C.
  2. Dip a stuffed tofu in the batter to coat; let excess drip off.
  3. Lower into the oil; fry 4 at a time.
  4. Cook 3-4 minutes turning, until deep gold and crisp.
  5. Lift onto a wire rack to drain.

Stage 6 - Serve

  1. Pile on a platter.
  2. Hand out fresh bird's-eye chillies with each portion (eaten alongside, biting fritter then chilli).
  3. Provide a small bowl of kecap manis for dipping.

Notes

  • Press the tofu before slitting: wet tofu won't fry crisp and the batter won't stick. Pat dry.
  • Don't overfill the pockets: the tofu cracks open during frying and you lose the vegetable filling. 1-2 tablespoons is plenty.
  • Cool the filling fully: hot filling steams inside the tofu and the batter goes soggy.
  • Whole fresh chillies on the side: classic Indonesian snack convention - bite the fritter, bite the chilli, eat a forkful of rice. The contrast is the point.

Storage

  • Best within 15 minutes of frying.
  • Leftover stuffed-but-unfried tahu isi keep 1 day refrigerated; fry from cold (no need to thaw or warm).
  • Don't refrigerate fried - the tofu turns rubbery and the batter sogs.

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