MM Bon Appétit

Most cultures figured out that stuffing seasoned meat and/or rice into vegetables makes for amazing dishes, and Vietnam is not an exception. We have stuffed eggplant, bittermelon, gourd, mushroom, and an honorable mention, even though it’s not a vegetable: Đậu hũ nhồi thịt (stuffed tofu).

This pork-stuffed tomato is my personal favorite. As a super picky kid, this was one of the few meals that I actually enjoyed and asked for.

Juicy tomatoes are stuffed with the classic Vietnamese filling of pork, shiitake and wood-ear mushrooms. They are then panfried for that maillard reaction and simmered in tomato sauce. The result is a wonderful combination of sweetness and acidity from the tomatoes, umami from the meat (and fish sauce), and great textures and aroma from the mushrooms.

This is a delicious and easy weeknight recipe that should definitely be added to your dinner rotation!

Can’t get enough of stuffed tomatoes but want to change things up, check out the French version of stuffed tomatoes: Tomates farcies.

INGREDIENTS FOR CÀ CHUA NHỒI THỊT

• Tomatoes - Cà chua: Round tomatoes like the ones in the featured photo above are the best for this recipe. Try to pick ones that are roughly even in size, weighing around 120 grams each. Because we want the tomatoes to keep their shape, don’t pick very ripe ones.
• Ground pork - Thịt heo bằm/xay: For this dish and others with a pork-based filling, I like choosing ground pork that is not too lean.
• Wood-ear mushrooms - Nấm mộc nhĩ/nấm tai mèo: They don’t bring too much in terms of flavors, but texturally, they are irreplaceable. Crunchy and a bit chewy, wood-ear mushrooms add textural interest, especially to a meaty filling, which is why the trio of wood-ear, shiitake, and minced pork is such a common filling found in many dishes. For recipes with wood-ear mushrooms, click HERE.
• Shiitake mushrooms - Nấm đông cô/nấm hương: These incredibly fragrant mushrooms are a staple in Vietnamese cuisine. Commonly paired with wood-ear mushrooms, this dynamic duo is in more Vietnamese dishes than I can count. For recipes with shiitake mushrooms, click HERE.
• Green onion - Hành lá
• Fish sauce - Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
• Bouillon - Hạt nêm: think broth, but in solid form. Bouillon is an amazingly easy way to bring that umami flavor to your food. We use it instead of salt in many of our dishes. You can usually find chicken, pork, or mushroom bouillon. In Vietnam, Knorr is the most common brand. However, we have only been able to find Knorr in powder form in the US and France, not granules. Instead, we use Totole brand chicken or mushroom bouillon. The quantities on our website are based on the granule-type so if you use powder, adjust to your taste.
• Ground black pepper - Tiêu đen xay
• Vegetable oil - Dầu thực vật

DIRECTIONS FOR CÀ CHUA NHỒI THỊT

1. Add both types of mushrooms to a heat-proof bowl, pour in boiling water, and let sit to rehydrate.
2. Dice green onions.
3. Once the mushrooms have rehydrated, drain, rinse and finely chop.
4. In a large bowl, add the pork and the rest of the filling ingredients.
5. Mix until well combined.
6. Cut tomatoes in halves crosswise.NOTE: only cut the tomatoes for stuffing. For every 4 tomatoes you are stuffing, one is reserved for the sauce. Do not cut the sauce tomato yet.
7. Use a knife and/or small spoon to scoop out the “guts” of the tomatoes into a bowl. Make sure you only remove the seeds and liquid, do not break and scoop out the cross walls. Set the tomato halves aside.
8. Finely chop up the reserved tomato and the tomato “guts” from the previous step. Add everything back to the small bowl and set aside.
9. Gently stuff the tomato halves with the filling. Start by taking a small bit of the filling and pack the cavities of the tomato half tightly, leaving no space. This helps secure the filling to the tomatoes when they’re being cooked. Once the cavities are filled, add more filling and use your palm to shape it into a dome, still packing tightly.I recommend only making small domes at first to ensure you have enough filling for all the tomato halves. Once all of them are filled, you can evenly divide any remaining filling between the tomatoes and make the domes bigger.
10. Heat oil in a pan (large enough to fit all the tomato halves in a single layer) on medium.
11. Add the stuffed tomatoes, meat-side down, in a single layer- pressing them down very gently to get some browning but not destroy the shape.
12. Fry for 5 minutes.
13. Use tongs or a spatula to flip the tomatoes meat-side up.
14. Pour the bowl of chopped tomato into the pan and season with fish sauce.
15. Reduce heat to medium low and cover.
16. Simmer for 20 minutes.
17. Remove from heat and serve in a large bowl or plate.
18. Garnish with chopped green onion (optional) and serve with rice!

RECIPE VIDEO