Serious Mapo Tofu

Name: Serious Mapo Tofu
Ingredients: Preparing chili oil and sichuan peppercorn powder:; *** DOUBAN (CHILI BEAN PASTE) OIL:; 1 cup (210 grams) of vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon (25 grams) of douban paste (sichuan fermented chili bean paste); 2 tablespoons (14 grams) of chili flakes (preferably from sichuan or Korea); *** ASSORTED SICHUAN PEPPERCORN POWDER:; 3 tablespoons (15 grams) of red sichuan peppercorn; 1 tablespoon (5 grams) of green sichuan peppercorn; Mapo Tofu:; 16.6 ounces (470 grams) of silken~medium firm tofu, cut into small dices; 4 ounces (115 grams) of fatty ground beef; 1 teaspoon of soy sauce + 1 tsp of toasted sesame oil + 1 tsp of cornstarch; 1/2 tablespoon douban (chili bean paste) oil; 1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger; 3 cloves of garlic, grated; 1 small red chili, finely diced; 2 teaspoons douban paste (sichuan fermented chili bean paste); 1 teaspoon assorted sichuan peppercorn powder; 1 tablespoon Chinese shao-xing wine (or rice wine); 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce; 1/4 teaspoon sugar; 1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock; 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (from sichuan or Korea); 1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar; *** TO FINISH:; 1 tablespoon of cornstarch + 2 1/2 tbsp of water; 1 clove of garlic, finely minced; 1/2 teaspoon assorted sichuan peppercorn powder; 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper; 1/4 cup douban (chili bean paste) oil

30 ingredients

1 steps

Ingredients

Preparing chili oil and sichuan peppercorn powder:
*** DOUBAN (CHILI BEAN PASTE) OIL:
1 cup (210 grams) of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon (25 grams) of douban paste (sichuan fermented chili bean paste)
2 tablespoons (14 grams) of chili flakes (preferably from sichuan or Korea)
*** ASSORTED SICHUAN PEPPERCORN POWDER:
3 tablespoons (15 grams) of red sichuan peppercorn
1 tablespoon (5 grams) of green sichuan peppercorn
Mapo Tofu:
16.6 ounces (470 grams) of silken~medium firm tofu, cut into small dices
4 ounces (115 grams) of fatty ground beef
1 teaspoon of soy sauce + 1 tsp of toasted sesame oil + 1 tsp of cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon douban (chili bean paste) oil
1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
3 cloves of garlic, grated
1 small red chili, finely diced
2 teaspoons douban paste (sichuan fermented chili bean paste)
1 teaspoon assorted sichuan peppercorn powder
1 tablespoon Chinese shao-xing wine (or rice wine)
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (from sichuan or Korea)
1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar
*** TO FINISH:
1 tablespoon of cornstarch + 2 1/2 tbsp of water
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon assorted sichuan peppercorn powder
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 cup douban (chili bean paste) oil

Directions

1

["NOTE: Sichuan peppercorns are paramount in mapo tofu, but even then most recipes are being cheap with it. You need the real stuff and you need more. I have for many time, mentioned the difference between red sichuan peppercorn (the typical kind that people refer to) and green sichuan peppercorn (the less common variety), so I may be repeating myself here. In a nutshell, red sichuan peppercorn delivers strong fragrance with a milder numbing power, whereas green sichuan peppercorn... who knows what it tastes like as it will numb your face off completely. It is very common in China that a combination of both is used in different dishes to reach the desired balance. If you only have red sichuan peppercorn and feel absolutely unmotivated to buy the green type, you can just use red. But the result won't be the same.", "NOTE 2: The thing about writing recipes with Asian condiments is that different brands vary in taste and saltiness. The link provide for douban paste (sichuan fermented chili bean paste) is exactly the same one I used which is very authentic and salty. If you're using a different brand, you may need to slightly adjust the amount accordingly. I don't have a link for the exact dark soy sauce I used, so you'll have to rely a little bit on your taste-buds. If the soy sauce lands on the \"sweeter\"" side