Vietnamese Stuffed Tomatoes

Vietnamese Stuffed Tomatoes

This was a hit with Dave and the kids last night and extremely easy to make.  I stuffed large Hanover tomato halves with ground turkey, grated carrots, scallions and onions, then pan seared and baked them for 20 minutes.   This was served with a side of rice and sauteed squash grown by my girlfriend Huong (thank you Huong!).   The tomato was yummy.  The stuffing was yummy.  When you combine the two, it was simply amazing!  I'm a firm believer that if an entree is that good, you could eat it with just plain rice.  And these Vietnamese Stuffed Tomatoes are that good AND easy to make!  This is definitely a "hug me" dish.  You will get hugged for this, I promise!  

(A BIG favor:  If you like this, please use the share link at the bottom and post to your FB profile or email to your best buds!  "Cam On!" - Thank you in Vietnamese.)  

Ingredients

2-3 Large Tomatoes

1 Pack of Ground Turkey

1/2 Extra Large Onion or 1 Small Onion (minced)

1 Large Carrot (grated)

3-4 Stalks of Scallions (chopped)

3 Garlic Cloves (minced)

1/4 Cup + 1/2 TBSP Fish Sauce

1 TBSP Roasted Rice Powder 

1 TBSP Garlic Powder

4 TBSP Sugar

It's best to use a food processor to get the onion to the right consistency.  You want to mince it as much as you can without turning it into a complete puree.  You can throw the garlic in at the same time as well. 

STEP 1:  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cut tomatoes in half horizontally.  Take a paring knife and cut around the inside edge.  Then make several horizontal and vertical cuts to the core.  This will make scooping it out much easier.  Then place tomato on a cutting board for support and use a large spoon to scoop everything out.  You should have a  nice tomato shell when you're finished.  

STEP 2:  Combine all stuffing ingredients and mix well.  

STEP 3:  Use a rubber spatula to stuff the tomatoes and smooth the top.  

STEP 4:  Add about 1/4 inch of oil to a stainless steel skillet on medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot, place the tomatoes top down and pan sear for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.  When the top is seared, flip and sear the bottom.  Use a metal spatula in one hand and a wooden/metal spoon in the other to support the bottom.  Sear for about 2 minutes then place in oven for about 20 minutes.

NOTES:

• While tomatoes are in the oven, you have time to saute or grill a nice veggie side dish.  And you should have learned by now that the rice cooker is always filled with warm rice right?  

• You can buy roasted rice powder at any Asian grocery store.  It adds a nice roasted flavor to this dish.  But if you can't find it or don't have any on hand, you can leave this out. 

• Don't forget to drizzle the juices leftover in the skillet back on your tomatoes and in your rice.  It's a wonderful combination of tomato, turkey and onion juices.  Can we say insanely mind-blowing delicious? 

• A must-have to make this dish: