Mapo – Tofu

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 pack of tofu (silken tofu or cotton tofu)
• 200 g minced pork or mixed
• 1 spring onion(s)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 piece(s) ginger (approx. 2 – 3 cm)
• 2 tbsp chili flakes or chopped chili pepper
• 1 tbsp oil, neutral (e.g. rapeseed oil)
• 3 tbsp, leveled seasoning paste (spicy chili bean paste – Doubanjiang)
• 250 ml chicken broth, possibly instant
• 1 tsp sesame oil, roasted, Japanese
• 1 ½ tbsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp water
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 some miso paste, light
• 3 tbsp sake
• 1 ½ tbsp sugar
• possibly mushrooms (shiitake)
• possibly eggplant(s)

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Chinese tofu – minced meat – dish in a slightly Japanese version

First, drain the tofu (e.g., wrap it in a paper towel and press it down firmly, then remove the paper towel). Then cut it into approximately 1.5 cm cubes. Wash the spring onion and slice the white and light green parts into very thin rings, and the dark green parts into approximately 1 cm wide rings. Chop the garlic. Peel the ginger, then chop (or grate) it very finely. Mix the ingredients for the seasoning sauce in a bowl until it forms a sauce. The miso paste is very difficult to combine with the other ingredients, so stir well and for a long time until smooth, or lightly crush it against the sides of the bowl, but don’t give up. Heat neutral oil (preferably rapeseed oil) in a saucepan, then sauté the garlic, ginger, the light green and white parts of the spring onion, and the chili flakes (over medium to medium-high heat). After about 1 minute, add the minced pork and fry until crumbly, stirring constantly. Then add the spicy chili bean paste and mix everything well. Then immediately add the tofu cubes and stir carefully (!) – ideally using a swirling motion so the tofu doesn’t crumble. Once everything is well mixed, add the chicken stock and seasoning sauce and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir well, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes over low to medium heat. Then add the dark green parts of the spring onion. Then, in a cup, mix the 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water and immediately (!) pour it over the dish in a circular motion (the dish should still be simmering gently). Stir well – this will give the dish a nice, sticky texture. Finally, add about 1 teaspoon of goma oil (Japanese toasted sesame oil) and stir again. Be careful: the oil has a very strong flavor! It’s better to use a little less than too much… Then serve in bowls (best with Asian rice). Instead of the minced pork, you can also use mixed ground meat in a pinch – but minced pork works better! Instead of silken tofu, you can also use cotton-top tofu (the Chinese do it too…), but I prefer the slimy silken tofu. When using silken tofu, make sure it’s firm (!) silken tofu, as the soft one crumbles very quickly. If you can’t find firm silken tofu, it’s better to use cotton-top tofu. Light miso paste cannot be replaced with red miso paste. It works without miso paste too, but I like it better this way… Goma oil cannot be replaced with European sesame oil (not even toasted European sesame oil), as it tastes completely different. If you can’t find goma oil in an Asian store, it’s best to leave it out! Shiitake mushrooms and eggplant are also delicious in this dish, but they’re not necessary (Asians use far fewer ingredients in their dishes anyway than in a typical German Chinese restaurant…). Rice (Chinese or Japanese) goes best with this dish. I also always make an Asian vegetable side dish, which is then served in its own bowl—e.g., mixed stir-fried vegetables or seaweed and cucumber slices in rice vinegar with a bit of sugar (Japanese: sunomono). Oh, and the chili bean paste makes the dish a little spicy. If you can’t stand that, you should use less than the specified 3 tablespoons. But this is actually a dish from Szechwan cuisine, and people there like it spicy.