Editor’s note: Welcome to House Special, a new monthly column about the most beloved, debated, unique, or interesting dishes at local restaurants.
At Hakka House, it’s an unspoken rule, a quiet understanding among the crowd who found their way there—order the pork stuffed tofu. Those in the know are likely regulars who frequented Hakka House at its previous Bellevue location. After shuttering its Bellevue location, owner Charley Lee moved to Hawaii briefly to be with family and returned this year to reopen the popular restaurant in Redmond, bringing back its unique chef specials of classic Hakka dishes, including the pork stuffed tofu.
The term Hakka describes an ethnic Chinese group that has, over the past century, migrated and settled in numerous parts of Asia from Guangdong and parts of Southern China to Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and even the Caribbean. This resilient group settled in less desirable mountainous regions, farmed difficult terrain, and also brought their cuisine to new lands. Today, you may see Hakka dishes at certain Indian or Cantonese restaurants. The dishes are so well-received in Taiwan that it’s almost indistinguishable from Taiwanese cuisine. This is why you’ll find variations of pork stuffed tofu, often called yong tau foo, throughout Asia, with different fillings and cooking styles depending on the region. This is also why Lee’s Hakka House menu features dishes from across the Hakka diaspora, including Cantonese dim sum and some Fujian and Taiwanese dishes.
“For us Hakka people and our families, this dish is a special occasion dish that we have during festivals or family reunions,” says Lee.
“Every parent would surely make this dish to share with their family, showing their care and love for us children. Even now, when our whole family eats stuffed tofu, we think of the deep love and longing our parents have for us, and the hardships our children face working and starting businesses far from home.”
He makes the pork stuffed tofu the same way it has been made many times throughout his life growing up as a restaurant kid in Taiwan and Hawaii. He mixes pork with shallots, preserved cabbage, and seasonings. With one deft incision using a pair of chopsticks, he stuffs a ball of pork in the tofu, dredges each one with cornstarch, and sears them. They’re served on a bed of raw onions on a hot cast-iron plate, well-coated in a light, savory sauce.
The traditional version is usually served on a bed of lettuce, but Hakka House’s version reflects Lee’s family’s take on the dish, served on a sizzling hot cast-iron plate over a bed of onions with the glossy sauce bubbling away. During a Sunday lunch at Hakka House, I saw, and heard, this dish carried to tables multiple times, each plate leaving a fragrant smoke trail behind it. The scent of onions followed as the sizzling plate of pork stuffed tofu was presented to each table, often proudly by Lee himself.
Tiffany Ran is a writer and the chef behind Babalio Taiwanese Pop-Up, a Taiwanese food pop-up, and the food editor of TaiwaneseAmerica.org. Much of her food exploration includes jumping between catering, restaurants, and the pop-up world. Her writing has been featured in Vice Munchies, Lucky Peach, Goldthread, JoySauce, Northwest Asian Weekly, and more.
