Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter

越式炸豆腐米線拼盤

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — finished dish

Total time: 55 min
Difficulty: Medium
Servings: 4 servings

Recipe overview

Crisp golden tofu, rice vermicelli, fully cooked pork, cucumber and herbs make a generous Vietnamese-style sharing platter with a heated savoury dip.

01

Ingredients

Main ingredients

600 g firm tofu
300 g dried rice vermicelli
300 g pork belly
1 cucumber
150 g lettuce
20 g mint
20 g coriander
2 limes

Heated dipping sauce

3 tbsp bottled fish sauce
3 tbsp warm water
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp chopped red chilli

For frying tofu

250 ml cooking oil

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — ingredients

02

Tools

saucepan
frying pan
colander
cutting board
kitchen knife
kitchen tongs
skimmer
mixing bowl

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — tools

03

Steps

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — Press and cut tofu

Step 1

Press and cut tofu

Press the tofu dry with kitchen paper and cut it into even rectangles.

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — Cook pork safely

Step 2

Cook pork safely

Boil the pork belly until its centre reaches 75°C, then cool it on a clean plate.

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — Cook vermicelli

Step 3

Cook vermicelli

Cook the vermicelli according to the packet, rinse with cool water and drain thoroughly.

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — Wash the herbs

Step 4

Wash the herbs

Wash the lettuce, mint and coriander carefully, then drain and dry them.

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — Cut cucumber and lime

Step 5

Cut cucumber and lime

Cut the cucumber into batons and the limes into wedges, separate from cooked food.

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — Make heated dipping sauce

Step 6

Make heated dipping sauce

Boil fish sauce, water and sugar for one minute; cool before adding lime, garlic and chilli.

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — Heat the oil

Step 7

Heat the oil

Heat a shallow layer of oil in a frying pan to about 175°C.

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — Fry the first side

Step 8

Fry the first side

Add tofu in uncrowded batches and fry until the underside is golden.

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — Turn and crisp

Step 9

Turn and crisp

Turn with clean tongs and fry until every side is evenly crisp.

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — Drain and rest

Step 10

Drain and rest

Drain the tofu on a rack or kitchen paper without stacking the pieces.

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — Slice pork and bundle noodles

Step 11

Slice pork and bundle noodles

Use a clean knife to slice cooked pork and form the drained noodles into bundles.

Vietnamese Fried Tofu and Rice Vermicelli Platter — Assemble the platter

Step 12

Assemble the platter

Arrange tofu, pork, noodles, cucumber and herbs in sections with the dip on the side.

Common mistakes

Leaving tofu wet causes dangerous splashing.
Undercooking the pork.
Using one board for raw and cooked food.
Stacking hot tofu softens the crust.

Tips

Use bottled seasoning and heat the sauce base; separate raw and cooked utensils and cook pork to 75°C.