Mapu Tofu
A spicy, satisfying tofu dish from Sichuan.
Ingredients
Chili-Peppercorn Topping
- 5 grams seeded, medium-hot dry chili such as "heaven facing chili" about 20 small chilies
- 1 Tbsp sichuan peppercorn, red or green
- 1 Tbsp neutral flavored cooking oil (canola, vegetable, corn....etc)
Mapo Tofu
- 450 grams soft or firm tofu, depending on your preference 1 block (1 pound)
- 1 Tbsp roasted rapeseed oil AKA Caizi You (can substitute any neutral-flavored cooking oil)
- 2 Tbsp lard (can substitute any neutral-flavored cooking oil)
- 120 gram piece of pork shoulder (1/4 pound, could also use ground pork)
- 2 Tbsp minced pickled red Sichuan chili OR pickled Thai bird chili (can substitute plain chopped red bird chili)
- 2 Tbsp minced ginger
- 60 grams young green garlic OR scallion (1 green garlic or 3 scallions)
- 1 tsp fermented black beans AKA Douchi
- 1 Tbsp fermented chili bean paste AKA Doubanjiang
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp MSG (optional)
- 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce (optional)
- 1 Tbsp corn starch, mixed with 3 Tbsp cool water (this is the slurry for thickening the sauce)
To serve
- steamed white rice
Instructions
Chili-Peppercorn Topping
- Ensure that there are no stems or excessive seeds in the dry chilies.
- In a wok or sautee pan, heat up the Tbsp of oil over medium heat and add the chili and peppercorn
- Cook the chili and peppercorns while stirring until everything becomes aromatic and the chilies start to darken, 2-5 minutes depending on your stove.
- Remove chilies and peppercorns from the pan and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Place chilies and peppercorn in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and process into a coarse powder. Reserve for use later.
Mapo tofu
- Cut the tofu into roughly 1 inch cubes. Set aside.
- Hand chop the pork shoulder into a medium mince. Set aside
- Wash the green garlic (or scallions) well to remove any dirt.
- Thinly slice the green garlic (or scallions). Separate the green and white parts. The whites will be used to stir-fry and the green tops will be used as a garnish.
- Roughly chop the fermented black beans and set aside.
- Measure and gather the rest of the ingredients before starting the cooking process. Read the remaining procedures thoroughly before cooking.
- In a wok or pot, bring approximately 2 quarts of water up to a simmer and carefully add the tofu. Cook for one minute just below a simmer. This will firm up the tofu and make it less likely to break apart in later steps.
- Carefully remove the tofu from the water using a strainer or spider. Set tofu aside.
- In a wok or large saute pan, heat rapeseed oil over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. Once the oil is smoking, add the lard. Don't let it smoke up again once the lard is added. (if using regular cooking oil, skip the smoking step and just heat the oil over medium-high heat)
- Add the pork to the pan.
- Using a spoon, break up the pork and cook over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds, or until the pork is cooked through, stirring as it cooks.
- Add green garlic whites, minced ginger, minced pickled peppers, chopped fermented black beans, and doubanjiang.
- Stir fry for about 30 seconds over medium-high heat while stirring constantly. Oil should start to turn red.
- Add 2/3 of the chili-peppercorn topping. Stir fry for 10 seconds over medium-high heat. Reserve the remaining 1/3 to garnish the finished plate at the end.
- Add stock, sugar, MSG, and dark soy. Simmer for a few seconds.
- Add the tofu and turn the heat down so the sauce is simmering, not boiling hard, which could break up the pieces of tofu. Simmer tofu for a minute or 2.
- Stir the slurry with a spoon as the starch will settle to the bottom. Add about 1/4 of the slurry to the pan.
- Gently stir the tofu in order to thoroughly incorporate the slurry into the sauce. Simmer the sauce for 15 to 30 seconds to allow the starch to cook and slightly thicken the sauce. Keep adding the slurry in small additions until a gravy-like consistency is achieved. You may or may not need to use all the slurry.
- Once the desired consistency is achieved, taste the sauce. If it needs a bit of salt or sugar, adjust seasoning now. Plate tofu in a bowl and garnish with the remaining 1/3 of the chili-peppercorn topping and the reserved sliced green garlic tops. Serve with steamed white rice.
