This Vietnamese classic has all the makings of a hearty comfort food (think spaghetti and meatballs), but with Asian flavors and a lighter twist.
One chance encounter (back when I didn’t know how different diced stewed tomatoes were from diced tomatoes) led to my own little flavorful discovery.
Ingredients:
(Tomato Filling)
1 lb ground pork
1/2 lb shrimp (diced into small pieces)
4 tsp fish sauce
4 tsp sugar
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
4 tbps diced shallots (or onion)
1/2 cup wood ear mushrooms, chopped into small sections (soak in hot water for about 10 min or until softened)
1 cup of bean thread noodles, cut in 1-2″ length (soak in hot water for about 10 min or until soften)
8 large ripe tomatoes
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
2 green onion, thinly diced (garnish)
Cooked rice
Directions:
(Prep) Soak the dried wood ear mushrooms and bean thread noodles in hot water. Finely dice the onion/ shallot and cut up the shrimp. (Cook rice if you need to)
Slice the tomatoes in half horizontally (did we used to call it hamburger style?). Use a spoon to core the tomatoes. Put the tomato guts into a separate bowl and cut them into smaller pieces so it will cook down into a sauce faster.
Use scissors to cut the soaked wood ear mushrooms and bean thread noodles into small pieces.
Mix together all of the ingredients for the filling (ground pork, chopped shrimp, onion/ shallot, wood ear mushroom, bean thread noodle, fish sauce, sugar, salt, pepper). Stuff the empty tomatoes with the filling and flatten out the top.
(Cook) Heat a large pan (preferably with tall sides) with a drizzle of vegetable oil on high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the tomatoes face side down so they can brown.
After 8 minutes or so (when the meat is browned) add the tomato guts and can of stewed tomatoes. Lower the heat to medium-high. Add a few teaspoons of fish sauce and sugar to the sauce. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, until the meat is fully cooked through.
Cut the green onions in the meantime.
Then, remove the stuffed tomatoes onto a different pan, so only the sauce is left in the original pan. Turn the heat to high to start reducing the sauce. Once the sauce is not too watery, taste and season accordingly.
Add the stuffed tomatoes back to the sauce, top with green onion, and serve with rice!
NOTES:
The bean thread noodles and wood ear mushrooms often come dried out and can be found at most Asian markets.
I’m not sure if this is common, but my family usually microwaves a bit of the filling before we stuff the tomatoes to check the seasoning, as it’s usually pretty difficult to tell by just looking. I recommend adding extra fish sauce or sugar after tasting.
Normal diced tomatoes are more common for the sauce, but I think the Italian stewed tomatoes add the kind of flavor you get after simmering for hours with literally no extra effort. The regular tomato guts kind of balance out the stewed tomatoes as well.
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