Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt (1 tsp).

Carefully place the tofu (16 oz) into the pot and boil for 5 minutes. Then, scoop out the tofu and set it aside in a strainer or colander to drain.

Mince the cilantro (0.25 oz) and the green onions (3 stalk).

Set the fish (6 oz) onto your cutting board and pat it dry with paper towels. Then, cut into small strips. Use the flat side of your knife to smash the fish into a paste.

Peel off the shells of the shrimp (6 oz).

Score along the back of each piece of shrimp to expose the veins. Wash the shrimp in a bowl of water and rinse the veins out.

Then, use the side of the knife to smash the shrimp into paste, just like you did with the fish.

Once the shrimp is mashed up, fold it into the fish paste to combine, and mash them together into one rather homogenous paste.

(Instead of smashing by hand, you can also put the fish and shrimp into a food processor and process the proteins into paste with some electronic help.)

Once the fish and shrimp are well-combined, place the paste into a bowl.

On the side of the bowl containing your shrimp-and-fish paste, combine salt (1 tsp), sugar (0.50 tsp), white pepper (0.25 tsp), cornstarch (2 tsp), and water (2 tbsp). Mix these seasonings well to combine, then mix into the paste. Take your time and mix it thoroughly to ensure even distribution of all the ingredients.

Add sesame oil (1 tsp) and the chopped cilantro and green onions.

In a bowl, combine light soy sauce (2 tbsp), dark soy sauce (0.50 tsp), rice vinegar (1 tbsp), sugar (2 tbsp), and boiling water (2 tbsp). Optionally, add chili sauce (0.50 tsp) to your taste (you can use homemade or store-bought chili sauce). Mix well.

Have a taste to see if you'd like to make any adjustments.

Pat the tofu dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Any water left on the surface will make the oil splatter when frying, so try to get the tofu reasonably dry.

Cut each block of tofu across each diagonal so that each block results in four triangles.

Use a small spoon or the tip of your knife to carve out a deep space in each tofu triangle. It’s easiest to use the longest (hypotenuse!) side of the triangle. Be careful not to break the sides of the tofu; while making enough room for a good amount of filling, you still want to keep it structurally intact.

Once you’ve carved out pockets in all the tofu triangles, gather the leftover tofu bits together. Just like you smashed the fish and shrimp paste, use the side of your knife to smash up the tofu. Mix that into the fish and shrimp paste to bulk up the filling.

Use a spoon to carefully stuff the paste into the pockets of each tofu triangle. Fill the pockets thoroughly so there are no air pockets that would explode, but be careful not to overstuff.

Heat a pot on high heat.

Add oil (10 oz), enough to cover the tofu. They’ll be deep-frying in here.

You can either use a thermometer to ensure that the oil reaches 350° F, or use a wooden chopstick to check for small bubbles. When the oil is hot enough, carefully place the stuffed tofu into the pot. Fry for 3-4 minutes, or until just golden brown.

Then, remove the tofu. Heat up the oil to 375° F - 400° F. Put the tofu back into the pot to fry a second time. Let them fry for 3-5 minutes, until they become a deeper golden brown with the perfect crispy exterior.

Remove the fried tofu from the pot and let excess oil drain off while you cook the sauce.

Heat a clean pan on medium-low heat. Pour in the sauce mixture. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes, until thickened to your liking. If it gets too thick, you can dilute it with water to thin it out again.

Pour your sauce into a serving bowl, and serve it alongside your fried stuffed tofu. Enjoy!