Vietnamese Fried Tofu with Scallions (Dau ran tam hanh) is a rustic Northern Vietnamese dish, featuring crispy fried tofu dipped in scallion fish sauce mixture. It is a tasty side dish or even main dish you can make in just 20 minutes.
Fried tofu with scallions (dau ran tam hanh) is in the daily meal rotation of a lot of Northerners. As it requires just 20 minutes and less than 5 ingredients, busy families love it.
Tofu pieces are fried until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They are then dipped in a savory scallion fish sauce mixture, and they turn from boring into flavorful tofu.
Watch how quick and easy to make this classic Northern Vietnamese dish in the video below.
Ingredients
The main ingredients for this dish are:
- tofu: I like to use medium-firm to firm tofu.
- fish sauce
- scallions
- hot pork or chicken broth. You can also use hot water, but it will be a lot more delicious if you use broth.
How to Cook Vietnamese Fried Tofu with Scallions
Notes for Frying Tofu
The first step is to fry tofu until golden and crispy. Some people like to put heavy objects on tofu block for 10 minutes or so to drain out excess water before frying. I think it kinda depends on the tofu brand. The tofu I use doesn’t need this step, but you may want to do it if your stove is not powerful and your tofu seems to have a lot of excess water.
To get my fried tofu crispy with the inside still soft, I like to use a deep fry pan with a lot of hot oil. That helps the tofu turn golden and crispy really quickly while keeping the inside soft. I also feel like when using a lot of hot oil to fry tofu, there will be less splashing.
Putting the Dish Together
Once you finish frying the tofu, drizzle some of the hot oil immediately over scallions slices. This extra step reduces the rawness of scallions while bringing out its fragrance.
After that, add the scallions to the mixture of fish sauce and hot broth (or water). Dip the tofu pieces into the sauce for a few seconds. Make sure you do this step while the tofu is still hot so that it can soak up the flavors from the sauce.
I can eat dau ran tam hanh on its own or with rice. Really love how little effort it requires to cook. Detailed list of ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below.
Wonder what else to do with tofu? You may want to check out these recipes:
I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
Vietnamese Fried Tofu with Scallions
Ingredients
- 1 lb tofu (medium-firm to firm)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 5 tablespoons hot pork or chicken broth, or hot water
- 3 tablespoons thinly-sliced scallions, green parts (about 3-4 stalks)
- cooking oil
Instructions
- Pat dry tofu and cut into 1-inch thick slices.
- Heat a generous amount of oil in a deep fry pan over medium to medium-high heat (adjust heat as needed). Once the oil is hot, add tofu slices and let them cook until the bottom is golden, about 2-3 minutes.
- Flip the tofu slices and cook the other side until it is also golden, another 2 minutes or so. Transfer tofu to a plate lined with paper towel.
- Place scallion slices in a bowl, and drizzle 2-3 teaspoons of hot oil that you just used to fry the tofu over the scallions to partially cook them.
- In a bowl, combine fish sauce with hot broth (or water). You can also heat the mixture by using your microwave. Taste and adjust to your liking. Scoop out the scallion slices (leaving the oil behind), and put into the mixture. Give it a stir.
- Dip each tofu slice which is still very hot into the scallion fish sauce mixture for 5-6 seconds, then place them on a serving plate.
- You can drizzle some of the sauce over the tofu slices on a serving plate, then dividing the remaining sauce into small dipping bowls for each person.
Viv N.
Wow, this was so good! I used vegan fish sauce and added a pinch of sugar. I made this for Lunar New Year’s eve! My family loved it! Thank you so much! I will definitely make this again.
Sophie
That’s fantastic to hear my recipe made it to your Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner and your family loved it. Thank you for sharing it turned out great with vegan fish sauce. I’m sure other readers will find it helpful to know :).
Amy D
So simple and yummy, and with ingredients we always have in the refrigerator and pantry. Even my picky 1 year old and 4 year old loved it. Thank you for the recipe!
Sophie
Hi Amy,
Thank you so much for the comment! I’m so happy to hear that your family loved it. I also love how simple and yummy this dish is :).