Hey everyone, it’s Drew, welcome to my recipe site. Today, I’m gonna show you how to make a special dish, mapo tofu. It is one of my favorites food recipes. For mine, I’m gonna make it a bit unique. This will be really delicious.
Mapo Tofu can be found in almost any Chinese restaurant around the world with hundreds of variations adapting the piquant original to suit local tastes. There is nothing wrong with this recipe, but be forewarned: It is NOT a recipe for Ma Po Tofu. First of all, Ma Po Tofu's main flavor is the Sichuan peppercorn.
Mapo Tofu is one of the most well liked of current trending meals in the world. It’s enjoyed by millions every day. It is simple, it’s quick, it tastes delicious. They are nice and they look fantastic. Mapo Tofu is something that I have loved my whole life.
To begin with this recipe, we must first prepare a few components. You can have mapo tofu using 12 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you can achieve it.
The ingredients needed to make Mapo Tofu:
- Get 1 lb softer tofu (homemade preferable)
- Prepare 1 lb ground pork
- Make ready 2 c sodium-free stock of choice or water
- Make ready 3 tbsp minced garlic
- Take 3 tbsp minced ginger
- Take 3 tbsp doubanjiang (use less if you're not a fan of spice)
- Get 2 tbsp sichuan pepper
- Make ready 1 tsp sichuan pepper powdered
- Prepare 5 tbsp oil
- Take 5 dried chilis
- Make ready 2 scallions chopped for garnish
- Make ready 1 tsp msg and/or sugar to taste
It pairs extremely well with rice, and may even be necessary with how spicy it can get. The name literally translates to "pockmarked old lady tofu", inspired by the old lady that made this dish. Mapo tofu is one of the top ten famous Chinese dishes and enjoys a high popularity among not only Chinese people but also many western countries. Personally I like to cook this dish at home from time to time especially in cool seasons such as winter and fall.
Instructions to make Mapo Tofu:
- Use the softest tofu you are comfortable cooking with. Our homemade tofu would probably be categorized as soft or medium-firm based on the brand. Prep all of your ingredients and cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes. Be sure to give the doubanjiang a pass through with your knife to chop up any whole beans that may be in the paste.
- Heat the oil in a wok and toss in the sichuan peppers and dried chilis. Cook until the peppers have turned brown and the oil is fragrant, less than 5 minutes on medium heat. You can leave the peppers in the dish, but we usually scoop them out and leave behind the oil for a less gritty texture.
- Cook the pork in the oil, making sure to break apart the ground until it's a finer mince, but we usually leave slightly larger chunks since we prefer it that way. Brown the pork until you're satisfied, then toss in the ginger, garlic, and doubanjiang. Stir fry until the aromatics have softened.
- Add in your stock (or water) and tofu. Allow to simmer until the water has reduced and tofu has softened.
- Once the stock has reduced partially, check for taste and season with salt or sugar/MSG accordingly. If there is too much liquid released from the tofu, add slurry of 1 tsp of cornstarch and a tbsp of water to thicken.
- Garnish with scallions. Serve with rice, steamed vegetables, and/or any pickled sides.
Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl; set aside. Place a wok over high heat. Mapo Tofu is a popular Chinese dish from Sichuan Province, where spicy food is king and the signature spice of the region–the Sichuan Peppercorn–gives dishes a unique "numbing" effect. It's almost like the Sichuan peppercorns are there to not only add their fragrance and flavor, but also to numb your tongue so it can take more heat!
So that’s going to wrap this up with this exceptional food mapo tofu recipe. Thank you very much for reading. I’m confident you can make this at home. There is gonna be interesting food at home recipes coming up. Remember to bookmark this page on your browser, and share it to your family, colleague and friends. Thank you for reading. Go on get cooking!
