January 22, 2021

Mapo Tofu

I had my first taste of Chinese food at 17 years old. There of us got together to study and hang out (myself and two other girls, immigrants like me, but they had lived in the States for longer than I). They suggested Chinese food. I panicked for a half a second, studied the backlit picture menu that’s on top of the counter in every single neighborhood Chinese joint and decided on one thing that seemed “safe” enough. My family and I were still “fresh off the boat” that we had not ventured in the realm of other cultures’ food yet. Maybe we had had pizza at the time. No takeout. No eating out other than a Romanian restaurant. This was a leap.

I ordered “shrimp with vegetables”. It arrived in its white takeout box. Another tiny box for rice. What??? Chopsticks. Oy vey!

Clumsily, I managed to bring a few morsels to my mouth and tasted. It was love at first bite. It tasted like nothing I ever laid taste buds on before. It seduced me. It teased me, it drove me to frantically eat the whole box, breathless and insatiable. A whole world opened to me that day…there were tastes and textures unknown to me that intrigued, puzzled, satisfied and, to this day, I am still hungry.

This dish was a discovery made years later at a work lunch with a few coworkers in NYC. A colleague ordered it and when it arrived, the aromas just blew me away. I took a bite and was too embarrassed to ask for another. Spices tickled my nose. The texture of the tofu was creamy, rich and grainy (in a good way) smothered in a sauce that pleasantly numbed my lips. This is my version of it to make at home on a day that a Chinatown trip is impossible.

The “must have” ingredient is Sichuan chilis. Without this incredible spice (floral, pleasantly spicy, slightly numbing) the dish falls flat.

Serving Size:

4-6

Time:

30 min

Difficulty:

Easy

Ingredients

1 lb. ground pork
1 container firm or extra firm tofu, drained
1 inch piece of ginger
2 tablespoons rice wine
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
4 tablespoons black bean sauce
2 tablespoons five spice powder
3 tablespoons Sichuan chili oil (you can buy it or make it, recipe here)
1 tablespoon Sichuan chilies
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt

Directions

Mix the pork with the minced ginger (I grate it directly in the bowl, using a Microplane)
Heat the vegetable oil along with the Sichuan peppers in a pan until shimmering. The peppers need to warm and slightly toast to release all their pungency. Remove peppers from the pan, leaving them aside on a plate.
Add the pork mixture. Let it sit undisturbed for a little while to get some crust and then start breaking it up. You want small chunks that get a good sear at the uneven edges. Keep breaking up, leaving it for a few seconds to get color. Turn head to medium low.
Add the black bean sauce to the pan. Stir to coat the pork well.
Add the tofu, the chili oil, the five spice powder and the salt. Gently toss to get everything coated well, taking care not to break up the tofu.
Add the chicken broth and simmer for about 15-20 min until sauce thickens. You can also thicken it with a cornstarch slurry if you’re in a hurry.
Add the scallions and turn of the heat.

Serve over steamed rice with the beverage of choice. I had mine with an amazing sour ale from Evil Twin Brewery in New York City. This was a thick, fruity and sweet Fructus Danica. Home run!