Mapo Tofu
Ingredients: Red Dried Chilies, Sichuan Peppercorns, Sichuan Dou Ban Jiang, Fermented Black Soy Bean (Dou Chi), Chinese Cooking Wine · 30 min cook time · 248kcal · ₩13,650
Ingredients
12pieces Red Dried Chilies, 2tbsp Sichuan Peppercorns, 2.5tbsp Sichuan Dou Ban Jiang, 1.5tsp Fermented Black Soy Bean (Dou Chi), 2tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine, 1lb Soft Tofu, 0.5tsp Salt, 3tbsp Vegetable Oil, 200g Ground Beef, 2tbsp Minced Garlic, 1.5tsp Minced Ginger, 4stalks Diced Scallions (white part), 1tsp Paprika, 2tsp Sugar, 1.5cups Beef Stock (or water), 2tsp Soy Sauce, 1tbsp Cornstarch, 0.25cup Water, 4stalks Diced Scallions (green part)
Instructions
1. Toast the red dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns over low heat for a couple of minutes. Let them cool a little bit, then grind them finely with a blender.
2. Add 2.5 tablespoons of Sichuan Dou Ban Jiang, 1.5 teaspoons of fermented black soy bean (Dou Chi), and 2 tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine to the blender cup. Blend everything into a puree.
3. Cut 1 lb of soft tofu into 1-inch cubes.
4. Bring 1.5 liters of water to a boil, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and slide in the tofu. Let this simmer for a couple of minutes. Carefully take it out and set it aside.
5. Turn the heat to high and heat the wok until smoking hot. Add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the wok. Toss in 200 grams of ground beef and try to break it up into small pieces. We don't want any meat patties. It should be nice and loose so the little beef bits can cling onto the tofu.
6. Once all the meat has changed color, push it to the side. There should be some oil pulling out from the beef. We will use that to sauté the Dou Ban Jiang paste. Toss in 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, 1.5 teaspoons of minced ginger, some white part of the scallion, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and half of the Dou Kou La Jiao. Reserve the other half to add at the end. Continue to stir for a couple of minutes.
7. Pour in 1.5 cups of beef stock (or water). Don't forget to rinse the blender cup so you don't waste any flavor. Turn the heat to high and bring this to a boil. Give it a taste to see if you need to adjust the flavor. Mine needs 2 teaspoons of soy sauce. It should be a lot saltier compared to a normal taste, because the tofu doesn't really have that much flavor and this dish is normally served with white rice, so you need the flavor to be strong to go with the rice.
8. Add the tofu. Turn the heat to low again and we will simmer for 5 minutes. While waiting, we will quickly mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water. Add it to the wok in three batches. The trick here to stir the tofu without breaking it is to push everything with the back of the spatula. Do not pull it towards you because the edge of the spatula is sharp and it will break the tofu. We don't want broken tofu.
9. Now you're ready to enjoy this mouth-watering Mapo Tofu. Sprinkle the reserved Dou Kou La Jiao and the diced scallions as garnish.
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