Golden Inside-Out Tofu Boks

Deep-fried inside-out tofu boks

This is the third time I've cooked fried tofu boks in the last few months. Each time, the pictures didn't turn out good so I didn't do a post on them. The boks look dry and boring. They also look like Critters eggs, perfect for Halloween. But these boks are absolutely delicious despite their looks. Wey and Yi loved them and insisted I post this recipe. So do not judge a recipe by its looks but try this out yourself. The boks can be served as a snack or finger food.

Tofu boks are fried spongy tofu balls which are hollow inside. The boks are added to stews and soups, but very often are stuffed with a meat filling and simmered in stock. An unusual way of stuffing the boks is turning them inside out and filling the pockets with meat before deep-frying them. The result is super crunchy fragrant boks with springy meat stuffing, guaranteed to keep a man from straying (to the restaurants, what were you thinking?) especially if you allow him a free flow of beer to go with the boks. Seriously, these fried boks are really that good. In my house, we never get to eat these golden boks at meal times because they never make it to the table. Serve them with a creamy dip, such as mayo or tomato or chili ketchup or English mustard (use vinegar to blend the mustard flour) or honey dijon mustard and before you know it, the whole plate'll be gone. And guys, don't wait for your princess gfs to cook these boks for you. This is a super easy dish to cook and I expect all you guys out there to cook it and report back to me. If she won't eat them ("Too oily!") or doesn't like them ("Too oily!"), reconsider your relationship. You don't want to spend the rest of your life eating steamed asparagus with the princess.

Turn the boks inside out, stuff the pockets with meat mince and seal or cover the meat with the tofu flaps.


These are tofu boks before they are turned inside out. When I ran out of boks, Yi bought rectangular boks instead of the square ones but when cut into half they were just as good, except the meat will be more exposed. Choose thick, meaty boks.

Inside-Out Tofu Boks
400g ground pork*
about 25 square tofu boks
1 T cornflour (if using home mince)
a few shakes of white pepper
a smidgen or good pinch of salt (not too much if you use bought ground pork)
oil to fry

*Best to mix half home-ground pork (use machine for finer texture) and bought ready-ground pork to get a springy bite and smooth texture. If you use 100% home mince pork, the filling will taste too coarse and dry unless you leave enough pork fat in when you mince the meat. You'll also need to turn and twirl the meat around until it reaches a springy consistency, so that the cooked meat will give a nice bite. Sure you can use bought mince only but that not only has more fat, it costs twice as much as home mince. If concerned about the pork fat, use fish paste wholly (for a different taste) or mix with minced lean pork.

1. Mix the pork/meat with cornflour, salt and pepper.

2. Do not wash the boks. Make a break on the bok with your thumb and turn it inside out. Fill the pocket with about 1/2 to 3/4 T meat filling. Don't overstuff the bok because it will take too long to cook.

3. Heat about 4 to 5 cups of oil (if the oil is enough to cover the whole bok, it will turn out more spiky, which is nice. I always scrimp so my boks turn out flattened) and deep-fry the boks in medium-hot heat until golden brown and firm. Takes about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

4. Serve hot with a sweet chili sauce, or mayo or English mustard or a honey dijon mustard sauce.