Skip to main content

Ma Po Tofu

If you have ever been to Asia you've likely come across this dish at some point. There's a thousand variations but all with a few key ingredients that really bring out the flavour that we are looking for here. I make this when it gets cold where we live. The heat and spice of this dish will bring you right back to life. If you want an authentic version, you're going to need to make a stop at an Asian grocer. The ingredients you'll find in a standard grocery store won't work nearly as well. Especially the Do-Chi and the Dou-ban-jiang which are crucial to getting this right. 


 Gather the Good stuff

  1. 300-400g Tofu. (Don't use super firm tofu, you want it a little soft). Often, especially at Asian grocery stores you can find a variety called Silken Tofu. I happen to think it is perfect but you do you. 
  2. 100-200g minced pork (you can substitute beef as well)
  3. 1.5 Tbsp Dou Chi - Little fermented asian black beans. 
  4. 1 Tbsp Doubanjiang (or for the spicier version La-doubanjiang) - an Asian bean past
  5. 1.5 Tbsp sesame oil
  6. 1/2 tsp. salt
  7. 1/2 tbsp Sichuan Pepper 
  8. 1 tbsp soy sauce
  9. 400ml - broth at room temp (seriously, don't pour cold broth into your dish)
  10. 2 tbsp. cooking oil
  11. 2 scallions - diced
  12. 2 garlic cloves 
  13. 1 Tbsp ginger - diced finely  
  14. 2 and 1/2 tablespoon water
  15. 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Optional Ingredients 

    1. 1 tsp sugar 
    2. red pepper flakes to taste 

Putting this Together 

  1. First add a little sesame oil to your pork and mix well. let it sit for 10-15 minutes 
  2. add a little vegetable oil to a heavy pan on medium heat 
  3. Brown the meat once the oil is hot. Remove after 5 minutes or so and set aside in a bowl. Retain the oil and fat in the pan 
  4. Cut tofu into cubes. Depending on how soft your tofu is, you may need to pre-boil it quickly for 2 minutes to firm it up a bit. 
  5. Increase the heat to medium high. Add doubanjiang to the oil in the pan and fry for 1-2 minutes until it starts to get fragrant
  6. Add scallion whites, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and fry for 1-2 minutes more being careful not too over cook the garlic
  7. Add the fermented beans and continue to fry for another 1 minute
  8. Add broth to the pan and add soy sauce. Bring to a boil 
  9. Add tofu to the pan and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer gently for 10 minutes  
  10. halfway through the simmering add in the Sichuan pepper 
  11.  Mix cornstarch into about 3 Tbsp water and whisk out any lumps. Add to the pan and stir
  12. Taste and adjust for spice and salt as desired 
  13. Add green parts of the scallions and serve immediately over rice 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chicken Noodle and Sausage Soup

  The wind where I live can cut you right down to the bone. Nothing will get you back up to speed like a warming bowl of homemade soup. It's also the best way to get through all the bones you've been saving from other dishes you've made by making the base from scratch in the form of your own broth. The veggies here can be changed up to taste of course or to suit whatever you've got on hand. This recipe is a in two parts, a recipe for the broth and a recipe for the soup itself. It's all pretty straight forward and I'd encourage you to mix it up with the exception of one part - do not cook your noodles directly in the soup itself. The result of that is a terrible mess if you reheat the soup. The noodles get way overcooked and they start to disintegrate. Best to cook them separately.  Gather the Good Stuff Broth  This recipe presumes that you've been saving bones etc from other meals that you cooked and that you've got roughly enough to make a decent stock.
1 comment
Read more

Gloriously Garlic Noodles

  This is a dish that you can have on the table in 20 minutes or less. It has relatively simple ingredients that pack a ton of flavour. It's also open to a lot of variation. I like to serve it with shrimp as shown but really any protein will work, seafood being the fastest one to add. Also, feel free to play with the amount of garlic. The recipe that follows is on the extreme end of how much you want to put it in there. if you find garlic a little overpowering, or you have a dentist appointment the next day, maybe tone it down a bit.   Gather the Good Stuff  In regards to the sauce, you can be pretty loose with the quantities. If you like it a little saltier, use more soy sauce. If you like it a little hotter, add a little more cayenne. For the noodles, literally any noodles will do. I used the standard spaghetti but that's just because it is what I had on hand.  2 Tbsp soy sauce - a shot of a thicker darker one is probably a good idea. if you use one that is too light you'
Post a Comment
Read more

Hot & Sticky Chicken Pops

These are just great. If you've got pickier kids then you can dial up the honey and dial down the hot and they'll love them. For adults, do the opposite. I like to serve this type of stuff as a heavy snack or during a chaotic dinner where you've got lots of folks coming and going. Obviously, these are open to be dressed up any way you like or even just straight roasted / fried for the crispy angle.  Popping the knuckle off of drumsticks is a great trick. It not only makes a nice little handle, it's also visually appealing. Lastly, it severs the little tendons that run up and down chicken thighs that aren't the most pleasant when eating. This is a good technique to get used to using in many different chicken dishes. I believe it is called "Frenched chicken". Gather the Good Stuff  1. Chicken Drumstick - 6-8 or what ever will fit comfortably in your roasting pan 2. 1 Tbsp - rice wine vinegar    3. 1 Tbsp honey - use good stuff  4. 1-3 Tbsp Sriracha 5. Salt &
1 comment
Read more