Mapo Dofu :: 麻婆豆腐 :: mapo tofu de Sichuan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken stock

2 Tbsp sake (optional)

1 Tbsp miso (optional)

Sesame oil for stir-frying and seasoning

2 – 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 Tbsp ginger paste

1lb ground pork (optional)

1 eggplant, cut into cubes

1 package (1lb) firm tofu, cut into cubes

Szechuan/Sīchuan pepper flakes, or pantry red pepper flakes. Another option: 1/2 Tbsp of your favorite sīchuan chili paste or doubanjiang (spicy chili bean sauce).

1 Tbsp rice vinegar (optional)

1Tbsp oyster sauce or soy sauce

1 Tbsp corn starch + 3 Tbsp water

Cooked white rice

If you are not someone who is excited about tofu, this meal might make you change that feeling…

How To:

1. Prepare stock mixture. Combine chicken stock, sake and miso. Set aside.
2. Wrap tofu in paper towel, or pat dry to remove moisture. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
3. Heat oil in pan. Stir-fry garlic and ginger in pan with a bit of sesame oil.
4. Add ground pork (if using), and cook until no longer pink. Add eggplant (if using), simmer. Add tofu, simmer for three minutes. I usually set aside some portion of this for my kids, before adding the additional seasonings.
5. Add chili bean paste, or red pepper flakes.
6. Add chicken stock mixture, simmer. After eggplant is softened, add oyster sauce (or soy sauce), and rice vinegar.
7. Add corn starch mixture to thicken. Season with additional red pepper flakes, rice vinegar, and/or sesame oil.
8. Serve over a bowl of steamed rice.

Notes: another vegetable option is to add chopped mushrooms, I usually use shitake. Remove the stems, and rinse the caps. Mix in any variety of ground pork, eggplant, tofu and/or mushrooms, and enjoy.