attempting mapo tofu tonight…
the finished product was way more exciting to make than it was to eat. the dish was imbalanced. it was a bit too salty. it needed a tiny bit of sugar/sweetness. i sprinkled the sichuan peppercorn on top and it was wayyyyyyy too much. besides the fact that my tongue was vibrating in a most uncomfortable manner, the flavor of the pepper was overwhelming and i became nauseated. i’m better now and i will try again but this experience is a very good example of learning by making mistakes. when you succeed, you aren’t exactly sure what was successful; i know exactly what i should do differently next time i make mapo tofu.
made it again tonight. this time, i decreased the fermented soy beans by 33% (1 tsp) and made sure they were very finely ground, i used a heaping tablespoon of red pepper flakes, i added the sichuan peppercorn to the broth just before serving along with about 1/2-2/3 tsp of sugar. it’s definitely better than last time. what it needs next time: low salt soy sauce and about 1 TBSP of sugar – but taste at intervals. it definitely needs more than 1 tsp.
omg. had this as leftovers (i skimmed the sichuan peppercorn layer off last night) and it was sooooo good that i wanted more. go figure. we will make it again this week, perhaps using a different recipe…perhaps not.
Mapo Tofu Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serve: 2
Famous Mapo Tofu Recipe From Sichuan Cuisine.
Ingredients
1 pound silken tofu (I am using Szechuan tender lushui tofu)
100g minced meat-beef or pork
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 and 1/2 tablespoons Doubanjiang, roughly chopped
1/2 tablespoon fermented black beans (also known as dou-chi and fermented soya beans), roughly chopped
1 tablespoon pepper flakes or powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon Sichuan pepper for making fresh ground powder
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
water or broth for braising (I use 400ml this time)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 scallion white, finely chopped
4 garlic greens or scallion greens, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves,finely chopped
5 ginger slices, finely minced (around 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional for reducing the spiciness)
Water starch
2 and 1/2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
Add a small pinch of salt and sesame oil to minced beef. Mix well and set aside.
Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl to make water starch.
Cut tofu into square cubes (around 2cms). Bring a large amount of water to a boil and then add a pinch of salt. Slide the tofu in and cook for 1 minute. Move out and drain.
Get a wok and heat up around 2 tablespoons of oil, fry the minced meat until crispy. Transfer out beef out and leave the oil in.
Fry doubanjiang for 1 minute over slow fire and then add garlic, scallion white, ginger and fermented black beans to cook for 30 seconds until aroma. Then mix pepper flakes in.
Add water to the seasonings and bring to boil over high fire. Gently slide the tofu cubes. Add light soy sauce and beef.Slow the heat after boiling and then simmer for 6-8 minutes. Then add chopped garlic greens.
Stir the water starch and then pour half of the mixture to the simmering pot. Wait for around 30 seconds and then pour the other half. You can slightly taste the tofu and add pinch of salt if not salty enough. By the way, if you feel it is too spicy, add some sugar can milden the taste. But be carefully as the broth is very hot at this point.
Transfer out when almost all the seasonings stick to tofu cubes. Sprinkle Szechuan peppercorn powder (to taste)and chopped garlic greens if using.
Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Notes
The doubanjiang may differ in salinity. So adjust the amount if necessary.