I made myself a most delicious meal last night and just have to share. I found the idea of making ground pork-stuffed tomatoes on Pinterest and then started searching the Web for different recipes. Pulling from a variety of recipes I found, I came up with a unique, Vietnamese-style receipe of my own:
Ingredients:
4 large ripe tomatoes
Pork stuffing:
1 lb of ground pork
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 bunch of watercress, blanched and finely chopped
2 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
ground pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Sauce:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375F.
2) Slice the top part of the tomato off and scoop out the seeds and flesh to leave a hollow cup. Reserve seeds and flesh in a separate bowl for the sauce. While preparing the pork stuffing, place the tomatoes upside down on a plate to drain.
3) In a medium-sized bowl, combine ground pork, shallot, watercress, fish sauce, sugar, and pepper.
4) Take the tomato cups and gently pat the insides dry with a paper towel. Fill the cups with the pork stuffing, tightly packing all the way to the top.
5) Add enough oil to a frying pan to lightly coat the bottom of the pan and heat over medium high. When the oil begins to slightly sizzle, place the tomatoes meat-side down. Cook until the tops crisp up and brown, approximately 10 minutes.
6) Transfer the tomatoes to a baking pan, meat-side up, and bake for 40-45 minutes.
7) While the tomatoes are baking, add the reserved tomato pulp to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes. While it's simmering, stir in the ketchup.
8) Combine fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and water separately. After the tomatoes are done simmering, remove from heat and add fish sauce mixture.
9) Serve stuffed tomatoes with rice and pour sauce on top. Enjoy!
