I never see pork tofu on a glossy menu. I see it on laminated cards at saimin counters and Chinese-Hawaiian diners, usually written in marker under “specials.” Sliced pork, medium-firm tofu, a fast stir-fry with shoyu and oyster sauce, watercress or green beans tossed in for color. It comes out in a shallow bowl, glistening, and I spoon it over hot rice.
The dish traces back to the Chinese contract laborers who started arriving on the sugar plantations in the mid-1800s and went on to build Honoluluʻs Chinatown. Itʻs the kind of cooking that turns whatever protein and vegetable you have into dinner in 20 minutes. I make it on weeknights when I donʻt want to think.
At a glance
4 over rice
15 minutes
10 minutes
Easy
Ingredients
For the stir fry
- 1 lb boneless pork loin or pork shoulder, sliced thin against the grain into 1/4-inch strips
- 1 block (16 oz) Aloha Tofu medium-firm tofu (or any medium-firm tofu), drained and cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 1 bunch watercress (or 1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed), cut into 2-inch lengths
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 stalks green onion, cut into 1-inch lengths
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (vegetable, canola)
For the marinade
- 1 tablespoon Aloha shoyu (or Kikkoman)
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
For the sauce
- 3 tablespoons shoyu
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Equipment
- Wok or large heavy skillet (cast iron works)
- Sharp knife for slicing pork thin
- Small bowls for marinade and sauce mise en place
- Wooden spoon or wok spatula
To serve
- Hot steamed white rice (Calrose or medium-grain)
- Chili pepper water on the side
- A scoop of macaroni salad if youʻre going full plate-lunch
Method
- Marinate the pork. Toss the sliced pork with the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Let it sit while you prep the rest, at least 10 minutes. The cornstarch coating is what gives stir-fried pork its velvety bite. Donʻt skip it.
- Drain the tofu. Lay the tofu cubes on a clean dish towel and let them drain for 5 minutes. This pulls excess water out so the tofu stays intact in the wok instead of crumbling into mush.
- Mix the sauce. Whisk together all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Have it next to the stove. Once you start the wok everything moves fast.
- Stir-fry the pork. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok over high heat until shimmering. Add the marinated pork in a single layer. Let it sear undisturbed for 30 seconds, then stir-fry until the pork is no longer pink and the edges are starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Build the vegetable base. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok. Add the onion and cook 1 minute until softening. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 20 seconds. Donʻt let them burn. Add the watercress or green beans and stir-fry until just tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add tofu and pork back. Return the pork to the wok. Add the tofu cubes gently. Pour the sauce over everything and stir gently to coat. You want the tofu intact, not broken up.
- Thicken. Let the sauce simmer and thicken to a glossy glaze that coats the spoon, about 1 minute.
- Finish and serve. Scatter the green onion over the top, give one final gentle stir, and spoon over hot rice in shallow bowls.
Notes from a local cook
Slice the pork while half-frozen. Twenty minutes in the freezer firms the pork up just enough that I can slice it paper-thin without it slipping around the cutting board. Thinner slices cook faster and grab more sauce.
Use medium-firm tofu. Iʻve tested every kind and medium-firm is the only one that works. Silken falls apart in the wok. Extra-firm doesnʻt soak up sauce. If you can find Aloha Tofu — the family-run Honolulu maker that local cooks have used for generations — thatʻs the local texture benchmark.
The vegetable is interchangeable. Watercress and green beans are the most common, but Iʻve had pork tofu with bok choy, choi sum, snow peas, even spinach. Whateverʻs freshest in the produce drawer goes in. The shoyu sauce ties everything together.
Make it a one-bowl meal. Lay a heap of rice in a shallow bowl, spoon the pork tofu over the top with extra sauce, and add a fried egg with a runny yolk if you want to push it toward loco-moco territory.
While You're on the Islands
Eat it made by someone else. I look for pork tofu at long-running saimin counters and Chinese-Hawaiian diners that havenʻt changed their menus in a generation. Side Street Inn on Hopaka Street near Ala Moana built its reputation on local Chinese-style stir fries — the pork chops especially — and dishes in that family rotate through the kitchen. See our full Oahu dining guide and Hawaii Eats for more old-school stops.
Buy the ingredients fresh. Fresh firm tofu and ground pork are sold at any island grocery store — no special sourcing trip needed if you want to cook this one yourself.
Bring It Home
What you can substitute, what you can't: firm tofu, ground pork, and shoyu are sold everywhere — nothing here needs special sourcing from Hawaii. This is a quick, pantry-friendly dish, which is exactly why it stuck around on Hawaii dinner tables for generations.
Where to try this in Hawaii
