Pork Tofu Casserole (Taiwan Mushi)

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The comforting pork and tofu casserole is a local Hawaii favorite, featuring tofu layered with savory ground pork, mushrooms, onions, and water chestnuts. It's topped with eggs and green onions. Bake and eat! Slice into generous wedges and serve with hot rice. A great dish for potlucks and easy (and delicious) dinners.

*A wedge of Pork Tofu Casserole (Taiwan Mushi), ready to eat.*

Why This Recipe Works

We have a really cool recipe today. This one is a local classic and I've only ever seen it in Hawaii.

It's easy to prepare and super comforting. You know those nights when you just want a big bowl of rice with something simple and tasty? Yes, this is the dish for you.

Start with a pan, use any size pan you have (aim for around 2-3 quarts). We use a 10-inch cast iron pan. Put a layer of sliced tofu on the bottom. The tofu serves as the "base" of the casserole.

Then saute ground pork with mushrooms, onions, and water chestnuts. Season with soy sauce and mirin. So easy!

Pour that mixture over the tofu. Top with a few beaten eggs and green onions. And then you bake and eat.

You can't go wrong and this dish is incredibly forgiving. Use more or less of any ingredients, it will still come out tasty. You can use more eggs to make it extra custardy and more casserole-esque (the eggs help bind everything together as it baked). Or use fewer eggs for a looser dish that's just as good spooned over rice.

The dish goes by a few different names:

Pork Tofu Casserole
Baked Pork Tofu
Taiwan Mushi

Have you ever heard of the name Taiwan Mushi?

Taiwan Mushi

What did the name Taiwan Mushi come from? I first heard this name on Kat's blog many years ago.

Kat noted that Taiwan Mushi is similar to chawan mushi (here's the Chinese version of the classic steamed egg dish), and that the flavors Taiwan Mushi are close to sukiyaki (or the Hawaii version which is called hekka).

I'm not sure where the Taiwan part of the name came from though. But that's what it's called.

This dish appears in so many local cookbooks and community cookbooks. You'll find this recipe written under both names, either Pork Tofu Casserole or Taiwan Mushi.

They are all nearly the same recipe with slight differences. What are those differences? Some call for bamboo shoots in addition to (or instead of) water chestnuts. Some recipes include sugar. Some call for brown sugar and others call for white sugar. And other also include grated or minced ginger.

The recipe I'm using is based off the Pork Tofu Casserole in Jean Hee's Best of the Best Hawaii Recipes. Jean Hee has published many local cookbooks that I've been collecting for years. Spiral bound classics.

You can find her books online, local bookstores, all the local libraries, or at Sam's Club or Costco Hawaii. Funny enough, I've purchase many great local cookbooks at the Honolulu International Airport / Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need:

Firm tofu
Ground pork
Onion, sliced
Shiitake mushrooms, sliced - You can use any type of mushrooms you have available, but shiitakes are the "traditional" mushroom to use for this dish. Can use dried or fresh.
Water chestnuts, chopped
Soy sauce
Sake
Mirin
Eggs
Green onions, chopped

Bonus: many people also like to include canned bamboo shoots in this recipe. You can use bamboo shoots in addition to everything else, or use it in place of the water chestnuts.

(I know water chestnuts and bamboo shoots are not remotely similar in taste of texture, but most recipes call for one or the other or both!)

A bowl of beaten eggs to top the pork mixture and tofu. — *Eggs to top the pork mixture and tofu.*

Step by Step Directions

Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350F.

Prepare the tofu.
Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes or rectangular pieces. Line the bottom of a pan with the tofu (can use a 2-3 quart casserole pan or we like using a 10-inch cast iron pan). Set aside.

Brown the pork.
In a saucepan over medium heat, saute the ground pork until browned.

Add the vegetables.
Add the onions, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the onions soften.

Add the seasoning.
Add the soy sauce, sake, and mirin. Cook for 1 more minute.

Pour the mixture over the tofu.
Pour the pork mixture over the tofu.

Beat and pour the eggs.
Beat the eggs and pour the eggs evenly over the pork mixture.

Pro Tip: Use more or fewer eggs depending on the size of your pan (and the size of your eggs). If you use a larger/more shallow pan, you'll need more eggs. Estimate 3-5 eggs for this recipe.

Top with green onions.
Sprinkle the green onions on top of the egg mixture.

Bake.
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Note: It's very important to make sure you fully cover the pan with foil otherwise the egg will dry out before the casserole finishes baking.

Slice and eat!
Remove from the oven. Let cool for 5 minutes (this will make it easier to slice).

Then slice, serve, and eat with rice!

*Pork Tofu Casserole (Taiwan Mushi), slice into wedges and eat!*

FAQs and Tips

How long does this dish keep?

It keeps for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or steamer. If you keep the leftovers in the same pan you baked it in, just put foil on top and reheat in the oven at 350F.

Love tofu?

So do we! Here are a few other favorite tofu recipes:
- Hot Sesame Oil Tofu
- Stuffed Tofu
- Green Beans with Tofu Dressing (Shiraae)
- Black Sesame Sauce On Steamed Tofu
- Local-Style Chicken Tofu
- Tuna Tofu Patties
- Avocado Tofu
- Pan Fried Tofu (With Garlic Soy Sauce)
- Tofu Poke

No sake?

No sake, no problem. You can omit the sake entirely or replace it with a splash of chicken broth.

Recipe variations and substitutions?

There are many different things you can do:
- Replace the ground pork with ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Add a can of bamboo shoots (add it the same time you add the onions, mushrooms, and water chestnuts),
- Add 2 teaspoons of white or brown sugar (add it the same time you add the seasonings).
- Bake the casserole in individual small containers...good for meal prep!