Today's feature is a Sichuan classic, the famous Ma Po Dofu (Tofu) or 麻婆豆腐. As with so many classic dishes, culinary records can be sketchy and there are a few stories on how this spicy beancurd dish came about. A popular tale on how this dish came about was that the tofu dish was sold by a lady with pockmarks on her face hence 麻婆, literally translated from Chinese, the dish means "Pock-marked Lady's Tofu". As with most Sichuan dishes, ma po dofu is packed with heat, both the more 'conventional' heat of spiciness from chilli peppers and another uniquely Sichuanese heat, a numbing heat that comes from the Sichuan peppercorns used. As many lovers of Sichuan food will tell you, the numbing effect is what makes the dish so special and it's a pleasure in itself just with the pleasantly numbing effect. However, if you're not used to 'true' Sichuan cooking, it may take some getting used to.
Cubed tofu cooked together with pan-fried meat in a spicy and earthy sauce made mostly of daobanjiang (spicy bean paste) and fermented black beans, the dish combines fiery flavours as is typical of Sichuan cuisine. The former is indispensable in Sichuan cooking and is a little reminiscent of Korea's famous condiment, gochujang due to both condiments containing fermented beans but I think gochujang is a little earthier while daobanjiang tastes sharper. All in all, an extremely simple dish to whip up - if you don't think you will enjoy the numbing effect, by all means go ahead and skip the Sichuan peppercorns although I would try it at least once before deciding.
Sichuan dishes are traditionally packed with heat as the Sichuan climate can be extremely hot and humid, the heat serves to eradicate 'wetness' in one's body and help to balance one's equilibrium. Little wonder then that a lot of Malaysian and other South East Asian dishes are also typically spicy.
* Best served with hot steamed rice.
Recipe adapted from Fuchsia Dunlop
Ingredients:
1 block tofu (approximately 500g in total), cubed - I used egg tofu which is what I prefer although traditionally white tofu is used, choose according to what you prefer
3 stalks green onions, sliced (save the green parts for garnish)
2 cloves garlic, minced roughly
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 pound minced chicken, pork or beef
2 tsps ground toasted Sichuan peppercorns
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp sugar or to taste
1 tbsp light soy sauce or to taste
3 tbsps daobanjiang (chilli bean paste)
2 tbsps potato flour mixed with 3 tbsps water (use corn starch if not available, potato starch makes the dish glossier)
Note from Jen: Daobanjiang and fermented black beans are already salty so be mindful of this while adding the light soy sauce to season the dish.
Method:
Bring a wok of lightly salted water to a boil. Gently place the cubed tofu into the water and turn heat down to medium and allow to simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove tofu and drain. Set aside.
Heat your wok until almost smoking. Add 2 tbsps cooking oil. Turn heat to medium-low and quickly add in the garlic and green onion slices. Stir around to avoid burning and add in the minced chicken or the meat of your choice. Turn heat up and stir around till lightly browned.
Add in the daobanjiang and black beans and stir chicken well to mix. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds on high heat. This gives the dish the essential 'wok hei' or wok's breath.
Add in the drained tofu gently to avoid breaking and pour in the chicken stock. Mix the tofu gently with the chicken by using a very light hand. Do a taste test and add sugar and light soy sauce. Do another taste test and add more if desired. Turn heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for about 8 minutes.
While the tofu is simmering, prepare the potato starch mixture. Add in the starch tablespoon by tablespoon, while mixing well. Once you see the sauce thickening and the tofu appearing glossier, turn off heat and dish out. Garnish with some green onions and add another sprinkling of ground Sichuan pepper if desired. Serve hot.
Ma Po Dofu Recipe ~ Spicy Sichuan Beancurd 麻婆豆腐
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 | Labels: chicken recipes, Chinese recipes, tofu recipes |
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33 comments:
I often love to have this on my dining table, and as you said, great to serve it with rice.
Love this dish and this book =D Looks fantastic!
It sure looks NICE!
Can't wait to try it!
Papacheong
http://home-cook-dishes-for-family.blogspot.com
It sure looks NICE!
Can't wait to try it!
Papacheong
http://home-cook-dishes-for-family.blogspot.com
Oh! I love ma po tofu...and your sure looks very inviting. Have a great week :-)
This looks wonderful, Jen! A little heat is a wonderful thing especially when melded with tofu & meat!
hi,
i wanted to try this recipe, but is there any substitute for the chili bean paste?
Also can i use corn starch instead of potato starch?
Thank you!
~Rimi
Oh! I love ma po tofu...and your sure looks very inviting. Have a great week :-)
Hi Rimi, yes you can use corn starch definitely as I mentioned potato starch makes the dish glossier :) But I don't think there's a direct substitute for chilli bean paste, I guess you can try making it without the chilli bean paste, just with the black beans but it won't really be Ma Po dofu but still tasty black beans tofu :D Let me know if you have more questions!
Rice is perfect for this!
Thanks Xiaolu!
thank you PPC
Juliana, thank you! You too! :D
Thanks Kay! I love the heat in this dish hehe
This is simply irresistible! I can wallop all of these just with a plate of rice. No jokes! ha... Hope you're enjoy your day.
Blessings, Kristy
Oh, another Ma Po tofu I browsed on blogs today. This is my all-time favourite dish, good for going with steamed rice. Nice pic!
Mmm,the photos are making me hungry now. I don't usually put the chilli in so the kids can eat it (so I guess that means I make black-bean tofu ;), but I think next time I'll make some just for the adults and try the added Sichuan pepper.
ya..very nice to eat with plain rice
Have not tasted this dish for years. Looks so appetizing! You made me craving for it now. ;)
I had my first experience of Sichuan peppercorns in China and I was 'stunned' by the numbness. Didn't like it at all, but yours look very appetising. If I were to eat this, I'll need to filter out the peppercorns! If you don't us Sichuan peppercorns, the dish won't be authentic at all, right?
My favorite Sichuan dish! I can have this with lots of steamed rice.
My favorite Sichuan dish! I can have this with lots of steamed rice.
thanks Christine!
oops! Thanks Kristy! You too :)
thanks Christine! I know, Ellie told me that she had hers scheduled when I tweeted mine lol
thanks Shaz, yeah, it's totally tasty though, do you leave out the daobanjiang too?
perfect combo!
thanks LK!
Ahhh - I think it's fine to leave it out if you don't like it :)
Yeah, makes eating too much rice so easy lol
i had this quite some time back at a local restaurant here but i dont think they taste as spicy as it should be! nice looking dish you have here!
Thanks Lena! You can really adjust the level of spiciness up to your own preferences :)
Chinese dish! I love Chinese food, but their kitchen has been always a mister for me.
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