294230 Fri Sep 26 15:43:35 -0700 2003 6 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1613062 I'm craving Ma Po Dofu, but I don't have a recipe. Would anyone like to share a recipe, or cite a good cookbook/website that contains one. Thanks so much. -L Fri Sep 26 15:43:35 -0700 2003 0 Lindsay B. 1 1613066 Here's Fuchsia Dunlop's recipe (scroll down the page). You probably won't stumble across a more authentic one. Link: http://prod.puffin.co.uk/pcs/static/packages/uk/food/fuchia_dunlop.html# Fri Sep 26 20:38:04 -0700 2003 1613062 0 Gary Soup 1 1613088 My favorite recipe for Mapo dofu (or doufu) comes from the book "Mrs. Chang's Szechwan Cookbook", 1976, Harper & Row, ISBN 0-06-013803-2. As it might be difficult to find this book, I'll provide the recipe with some notes added. Don't be put off as it is rather long & detailed but produces what I think is the best version of this delicious dish - one of my favorites. As many times as I've ordered it in a restaurant I've never had a version as good as this... Ingredients (you will see some things more than once; they are used in different parts of the process) 1/4 cup dried tree ears 1 cup boiling water 3 inch piece fresh ginger 5 scallions 1/2 lb ground pork or beef 2 Tbs soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 1 Tbs Chinese rice wine or dry sherry 8 or more cloves of garlic (or 2 Tbs chopped) 6 fresh water chestnuts (I've used canned mostly) 2 tsp cornstarch 1/4 cup water 6 squares fresh bean curd (I use the firmest) 1 Tbs cornstarch 6 Tbs peanut oil (I use less) 1-1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes in oil (or to taste) 1 Tbs hot pepper paste 1 tsp sugar 3 Tbs soy sauce 1/2 cup water 1-1/2 tsp ground, roasted Szechwan pepper corns (if you can find them) 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp salt or to taste Process: Put tree ears in small bowl & pour boiling water over them. Soak approx 15 min till soft & gelatinous. Peel the ginger and chop into pieces the size of a match head. Clean scallions and chop white part & 1/3 of the green into pieces slightly larger than the ginger. Add 1 Tbs chopped ginger & the equivalent of one chopped scallion to the ground pork along with 2 Tbs soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil & the 1 Tbs of Chinese rice wine. Mix thoroughly & set aside for approx 30 min. Peel the garlic and chop coarsely. Combine it with the rest of the ginger and mince them both until they are the consistency of a thick paste. Peel the water chestnuts or rinse the canned ones then chop till the size of a match head. Set aside. Mix the 2 tsp cornstarch with the 1/4 cup water & set aside. Cut the bean curd into 1/2 inch cubes (I go slightly larger - personal taste) Drain the tree ears, rinse then pick over for any impurities or hard stems then mince into match head sized pieces. Just before ready to cook, mix the 1 Tbs cornstarch into the meat mixture & blend thoroughly. Heat wok or pan over a moderately high flame for 15 seconds or so then add the 6 Tbs peanut oil. It's hot enough to cook when a few small wisps of smoke appear. Throw in the garlic & ginger & vigoursly stir-fry for approx 30 seconds. Continue to stir fry and add the hot pepper flakes in oil & the pepper paste, water chestnuts & tree ears. Stir fry for approx 30 seconds. Add the meat mixture & keep stirring as it cooks breaking up clumps. After approx 1 minute when meat loses its pinkish color, throw in the bean curd & chopped scallions & stir fry everything for about 45 seconds; then add the sugar & stir fry for another 30 seconds. Pour in the soy sauce & water and wait till it comes to a boil, then let it cook over moderate heat for 2 more minutes or so. Add the Szechwan pepper corns & stir thoroughly. At this point determine if it's too watery. If it is, add some of the cornstarch/water slurry (stir it up first) and stir fry until sauce becomes clear & thickened. Add the 1 tsp sesame oil & taste for salt. It should taste sharp & clear with just a hint of sweetness to balance the chilies. Serve with lots of steamed rice. Sun Sep 28 00:14:40 -0700 2003 1613062 0 RWCFoodie 2 1613101 I believe that the title of the book is Mrs. Chiang's Szechwan Cookbook. It's one of my favorite Chinese cookbooks -- lots of good recipes that work. You can find many used copies of this book at the link below. Link: http://www.abebooks.com Sun Sep 28 12:11:50 -0700 2003 1613088 0 Nancy Berry 3 1613184 Aaarrrggghh! Thanks for catching my typo on the author's name... Mon Sep 29 14:13:11 -0700 2003 1613101 0 RWCfoodie 1 1614321 MaPo Dofu is something I make all the time. I learned it from my parents, who grew up in Sichuan. The key ingredient is Sichuan Hot Bean Paste(in Chinese, Dou Ban Jiang). It comes in hot or not hot. The only difference is that one is hot and the other is not. I use the hot, but either would work. You have to have this paste, otherwise, the MaPo Tofu will not be authentic in taste. Usually, you can only purchase this paste in Chinese grocery stores (even Cantonese run grocery stores may not have them as they do not eat spicy food and do not always know this sauce from Sichuan). I make this dish by feel.. so here's my best attempt for measurements. Adjust as needed to suit your own taste as real Sichuan dishes are EXTREMELY hot. SAuce: - 2 TBSP(Table) Sichuan Hot Bean Paste (1 TBSP if mild to medium) - 2 TBSP HOT Sauce (This should be reddish or brownish and pasty, buy this in a chinese grocery store, preferably imported from Sichuan province) - 1 TBSP of light Chinese Soy (Sheng Chou Type) (KIKKOMAN is too dark, but if Kikkoman, then 1/2 TBSP) - 1 TBSP Chinese Wine (ShaoXing Wine from the city of ShaoXing in Zhejiang province would be best) - 1/8 tsp of Zhenjiang dark vinegar (from the city of Zhenjiang in Jiangsu province) - 1/2 tsp (teaspoon) white pepper (adjust - preference) - 1/2 tsp black pepper (adjust - preference) - 1/2 tsp of sichuan pepper corn powder - 1/2 tsp sugar - 1/4 tsp salt (adjust dependin on soy & bean paste) - 1 tsp of sesame oil Ingredients: - 1 regular sized box of Tofu (plastic container with see-thru top, med is easier to handle than soft) - 1/2 lb ground pork - 6 med sized shrimp chopped in small pieces (optional) - Green onion, finely chopped (2 stalks) - Garlic, minced (5-8 cloves, depending on garlic preference) - Ginger, minced (2 slices) - 1-2 Fresh Chili Pepper, finely chopped (optional as it may already be too hot for you with the hot sauce and the sichuan bean paste - do not skip these two sauces! I use Habanero which is the hottest pepper in the world. Jalapeno is medium in strength.) - Canola Oil 5-6 TBSP - 2 tsp corn starch mix (with water and stir) Cooking Instructions: -Chop G.Onions, Garlic and Ginger finely -Heat Wok on high for about 2 minutes (adjust timing depending on size of flame in your kitchen) until the oil is very hot (this is important) -Place G. onions in the oil for about 1-2 minute then Garlic, ginger and fresh chili pepper (optional), wait until they start to get a little brown (this is an important step which most non-Chinese don't do.. as the flavor gets released into the oil) -Place g. pork into the wok. Breakup the g. pork and continue to stir to avoid clumping. Cook until 70% done. -If shrimp is desired, put in at this stage as it cooks faster. -Immediately pour in the wine, wait for 10 seconds to let wine absorb into meat, then place Sichuan bean paste, hot sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and pepper and stir. Wait for about 20 seconds -Put in the diced Tofu. Stir to mix the sauce and meat with the pork. Avoid breaking the tofu. -Turn down the flame to med and let simmer for 2-3 minutes or so to heat up the tofu and let the tofu abosorb the sauce. Stir once if necessary to avoid burning... -Turn the flame to high and bring it up to boil. AFter it boils, stir the starch mix and pour into wok. Continue to stir to distribute evenly for 10 seconds. The sauce should thicken. Turn off flame. (if too starchy, then reduce next time). this thickens the dish so the sauce stays on the tofu. you don't want to over starch, otherwise the appearane is bad and the taste is starchy.. You will need more of this starch mix if the liquid content is high and less if low. Liquid content varies depening on how fatty the pork is and how high your flame is. -Place in dish, put sesame oil over dish and serve. Sichuan peppercorn has a very different taste from black pepper. It's very aromatic. If you cannot find the power form, you may have to buy the pepper corn and grind it yourself. If you grind, be sure to grind it until real fine. Otherwise it will taste grainy. If you cannot find Sichuan pepper corn, then skip it. When you place the black, white and Sichuan peppers, be sure to avoid clumping... If this is too hot, you can reduce the hot sauce and purchase the non-hot sichuan bean paste... This is a very authentic recipe which you may not be accustomed to if you've only had the pseudo version.... I hope you enjoy it. Thu Oct 09 20:43:13 -0700 2003 1613062 0 ChineseGourmet 1 1614322 MaPo Dofu is something I make all the time. I learned it from my parents, who grew up in Sichuan. The key ingredient is Sichuan Hot Bean Paste(in Chinese, Dou Ban Jiang). It comes in hot or not hot. The only difference is that one is hot and the other is not. I use the hot, but either would work. You have to have this paste, otherwise, the MaPo Tofu will not be authentic in taste. Usually, you can only purchase this paste in Chinese grocery stores (even Cantonese run grocery stores may not have them as they do not eat spicy food and do not always know this sauce from Sichuan). I make this dish by feel.. so here's my best attempt for measurements. Adjust as needed to suit your own taste as real Sichuan dishes are EXTREMELY hot. SAuce: - 2 TBSP(Table) Sichuan Hot Bean Paste (1 TBSP if mild to medium) - 2 TBSP HOT Sauce (This should be reddish or brownish and pasty, buy this in a chinese grocery store, preferably imported from Sichuan province) - 1 TBSP of light Chinese Soy (Sheng Chou Type) (KIKKOMAN is too dark, but if Kikkoman, then 1/2 TBSP) - 1 TBSP Chinese Wine (ShaoXing Wine from the city of ShaoXing in Zhejiang province would be best) - 1/8 tsp of Zhenjiang dark vinegar (from the city of Zhenjiang in Jiangsu province) - 1/2 tsp (teaspoon) white pepper (adjust - preference) - 1/2 tsp black pepper (adjust - preference) - 1/2 tsp of sichuan pepper corn powder - 1/2 tsp sugar - 1/4 tsp salt (adjust dependin on soy & bean paste) - 1 tsp of sesame oil Ingredients: - 1 regular sized box of Tofu (plastic container with see-thru top, med is easier to handle than soft) - 1/2 lb ground pork - 6 med sized shrimp chopped in small pieces (optional) - Green onion, finely chopped (2 stalks) - Garlic, minced (5-8 cloves, depending on garlic preference) - Ginger, minced (2 slices) - 1-2 Fresh Chili Pepper, finely chopped (optional as it may already be too hot for you with the hot sauce and the sichuan bean paste - do not skip these two sauces! I use Habanero which is the hottest pepper in the world. Jalapeno is medium in strength.) - Canola Oil 5-6 TBSP - 2 tsp corn starch mix (with water and stir) Cooking Instructions: -Chop G.Onions, Garlic and Ginger finely -Heat Wok on high for about 2 minutes (adjust timing depending on size of flame in your kitchen) until the oil is very hot (this is important) -Place G. onions in the oil for about 1-2 minute then Garlic, ginger and fresh chili pepper (optional), wait until they start to get a little brown (this is an important step which most non-Chinese don't do.. as the flavor gets released into the oil) -Place g. pork into the wok. Breakup the g. pork and continue to stir to avoid clumping. Cook until 70% done. -If shrimp is desired, put in at this stage as it cooks faster. -Immediately pour in the wine, wait for 10 seconds to let wine absorb into meat, then place Sichuan bean paste, hot sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and pepper and stir. Wait for about 20 seconds -Put in the diced Tofu. Stir to mix the sauce and meat with the pork. Avoid breaking the tofu. -Turn down the flame to med and let simmer for 2-3 minutes or so to heat up the tofu and let the tofu abosorb the sauce. Stir once if necessary to avoid burning... -Turn the flame to high and bring it up to boil. AFter it boils, stir the starch mix and pour into wok. Continue to stir to distribute evenly for 10 seconds. The sauce should thicken. Turn off flame. (if too starchy, then reduce next time). this thickens the dish so the sauce stays on the tofu. you don't want to over starch, otherwise the appearane is bad and the taste is starchy.. You will need more of this starch mix if the liquid content is high and less if low. Liquid content varies depening on how fatty the pork is and how high your flame is. -Place in dish, put sesame oil over dish and serve. Sichuan peppercorn has a very different taste from black pepper. It's very aromatic. If you cannot find the power form, you may have to buy the pepper corn and grind it yourself. If you grind, be sure to grind it until real fine. Otherwise it will taste grainy. If you cannot find Sichuan pepper corn, then skip it. When you place the black, white and Sichuan peppers, be sure to avoid clumping... If this is too hot, you can reduce the hot sauce and purchase the non-hot sichuan bean paste... This is a very authentic recipe which you may not be accustomed to if you've only had the pseudo version.... I hope you enjoy it. Thu Oct 09 20:43:32 -0700 2003 1613062 0 ChineseGourmet