Deep-fry the tofu cubes on medium high heat so that it is golden brown and crisp on the outside, yet still soft and moist on the inside. The trick is to use a generous amount of vegetable oil, and fry at 200C/400°F oil temperature. Rotate quickly just to brown the outside of the tofu cubes.
Add sugar and hot pepper to the shrimp paste, adjust to taste. Add 1-2 tbsp hot oil from the frying tofu pan. Squeeze in fresh lime/kumquat juice while constantly stirring until it foams up into a sauce.
To serve, cut deep-fried tofu into bite-sized pieces. Grapse a bit of everything (tofu, vermicelli, herbs and boiled pork /cucumber) and dip in the sauce.
