Boil a pot of water in a soup pot. Blanch pork for about 2 minutes. Drain the pork and discard the water.
Return blanched pork to the soup pot, along with lotus root slices, peanuts, dried squid/cuttlefish (if using), salt, sugar, and water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer for 1 hour, or until the pork is fully cooked and the lotus root and peanut are tender but still crunchy.
Add tomatoes and cook for another 15 minutes.
