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Ma Pa Doufu

      Monday, February 23, 2009 | Leave a comment »

Ma Po Tofu
This actually could have been a little hotter spice-wise and this photo could be much better.

I know Diane, it's been a very long time since I last posted, and even longer since I last posted about food. So I will spare you all the beer details (they'll come later) and give you something you can really "sink your teeth" into. (Or at least something I really did sink my teeth into.)

Julie was out of town (for, unfortunately, tragic reasons), but this did free me up to cook something that Julie wouldn't normally be into. For the two of us and how we like to eat, this usually means pork. Not just wanting a pork chop or roasted pork loin (not that there is anything wrong with those), but something a little lighter was in order due to the near Spring-like temperatures out there last week. Mark Bittman had just posted an article on making Ma Pa Tofu so I figured I'd try my hand at that.

Normally Ma Pa Tofu, in a restaurant, is boring fried ground pork with nice cubes of soft tofu surrounded by a horribly insipid, sweet, gloppy cornstarch-laden brown gravy, with none of the requisite heat or flavor you're really looking for. Thankfully his recipe dispensed with the cornstarch (although I did add some back in) and tells you to really go wild with the crushed red pepper, which I did. But I also added some Szechuan peppercorns to give it that numbing heat that I was really looking for.

Ma Po Doufu

  • 1 lbs soft tofu, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 lbs ground pork or well minced pork shoulder
  • 2 tbls minced ginger
  • 2 tbls minced garlic (2 cloves)
  • 3 tbls soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup water (or chicken stock)
  • 2 tbls crushed red pepper (or to taste)
  • 2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
  • 1 tbls corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup water
  • 4 or 5 scallions, green parts and white parts cut up (separated though please)

  1. Put about 2 tsp neutral oil in a hot skillet (or wok if you're so inclined) and then add the ginger and garlic and some of the crushed red pepper.
  2. Cook for a few bits until it starts to smell awesome and get just a little golden, then add the pork.
  3. Break up the pork and cook it until it's nearly done.
  4. Add the water or stock and the soy sauce followed by the tofu and the green parts of the scallions.
  5. Let this simmer until the pork has finished cooking and then add the corn starch, peppercorns and more crushed red pepper to taste.
  6. Garnish with the white parts of the scallion and serve over white rice.

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