Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Dad's Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu is traditionally a spicy Szechuan dish made w/ tofu, ground pork, and peppers!!!! Soooo good but when I order it in restaurants, it's usually SPICY but no flavor and w/ the huge grease pockets. I'm following my dad's recipe a bit - w/ the addition of ginger but I'm keeping the heat element.

- Soft tofu, cut in cubes
- 1/4 lb of ground pork
- knob of ginger, julienned
- minced garlic
- green onion
- vegetable oil
- oyster sauce
- soy sauce
- sugar
- crushed red pepper
- cornstarch mixed w/ water

1. Place cubed tofu on a plate as if you are presenting the dish.
2. Add oil to pan and then add in ground pork.
3. When the pork is about 90-95% done, add oyster, soy sauce, and sugar.
4. Add sugar, garlic, and ginger.
5. Add in about 1/4 cup of water and let simmer for at least a minute. Microwave the tofu for one minute, making sure it doesn't explode.
6. Stir in red pepper and then shut off the heat.
7. Add in the cornstarch mixture and stir well. This will thicken up the sauce.
8. Top off the pork mixture on top of the warmed tofu.
9. Dress w/ green onions.






The result is a heavenly mixture of salty meat and silky "plain" tofu. Again, I warn you, if you eat the meat alone, it will be SUPER salty. However, when you bite it w/ tofu, it's a wonderful blend of softness and textures. The red pepper should come through a bit, but what gives this dish character is the GINGER. The ginger should be able to cut through the flavors and provide that clean earthy taste as well as bite.

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