I’m going to keep this one short and sweet (except to say this post is for you, Patri!). The proof is in the pictures, after all. It’s closing in on 2 a.m. here and I am so wishing I had some of this dish leftover to eat right now. Eat at 2 a.m.?! Who does that! Oh, um, me. I’m not afraid to eat at this hour, oh no. A muffin held off most of my hunger but what I really wanted was Ma-Po Tofu.
Bits of beef and soft pieces of tofu have simmered in a salty, spicy red sauce that absolutely screams EAT ME!! And so we did. And it was good. I’m not sure what originally drew me to this recipe — probably the promise of a spicy kick on a cold night — but I’m so glad I made the effort.
Not that it takes much effort to make it. This recipe moves quickly, once you have everything chopped and combined in various bowls. Plate it over a bowl of hot rice and let the flavors scream in your ear (and mouth), too.
Ma-Po Tofu
slightly adapted from Epicurious
serves 4
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (I used regular, freshly-cracked pepper)
1 1/2 pounds soft (not silken) tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons Szechuan chili sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese black-bean paste
4 Tbsp Hoisin sauce, split
2 Tbsp Asian chili powder (I used 3/4 Tbsp red pepper flakes)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup peanut oil
8 ounces ground beef
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 scallion (white and green parts), thinly sliced
1 medium leek (white and pale green parts only), washed, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup rice wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
Hot rice
Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add tofu, remove from heat, and steep (uncovered) for five minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer tofu to a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine chili sauce, black bean paste, 2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
In another small bowl, combine cornstarch and 3 Tbsp water. Set aside.
Heat a large saute pan or wok over medium high heat, then add peanut oil until hot. Add beef, ginger, garlic, scallions and leeks, cooking until meat is fully browned (roughly 3-4 minutes). Add rice wine, cook until mostly evaporated (roughly 1-2 minutes). Add hot bean paste mixture and cook until mixture is incorporated (roughly 1 minute).
Add tofu, broth, soy sauce and remaining 2 Tbsp of Hoisin sauce and bring to a boil. Whisk cornstarch if it has begun to separate, and add to pan. Cook for roughly one minute, or until mixture thickens slightly.
Serve over hot rice, garnishing with chopped cilantro. Enjoy with unabashed ardor.
This looks so good. Ma Po is my favorite Chinese dish hands down. I bet this would be good with ground chicken or turkey too. Your photos are great, I can almost taste it looking at them.
Thanks for the compliment, Ryan! I think you’re right about the meat — I might try ground pork, too. And soon… I need to make this again soon!
One of my favorite dishes. I bought Szechuan chili paste just for this recipe a while ago. Thanks for the reminder!
No problem!
Great photos!! I really want a nice bowl over here but Korea’s “Chinese food” is a far cry from the real thing!
Thanks, Patri!! Next time you come back to the states I’ll make you this. But only if you and Inyoung teach me classic Korean dishes!
My stomach just grumbled. This looks incredible.
It was really, really good, Kelly!
The photos already screaming at me!
I know!
This sounds tasty I’ve just started experimenting with tofu recently and adding this recipe to the ones I want to try.
My question is a technical one: What’s the purpose of steeping the tofu for 5 minutes at the beginning of your recipe? I am really curious about this step.
Thanks
Good question, Nick. I actually had no idea why they have you do that! After some searches online I found that this is done a lot in certain Asian dishes where there is a lot of sauce for the tofu to soak up. The steeping also cooks the tofu as well. I hope that helps! I learned something today, too.