Ma Po Tofu From Cooking Light Recipes

MA PO TOFU (FROM COOKING LIGHT)

Steps:

• Place tofu slices on several layers of paper towels, cover with additional paper towels. Place a dinner plate on top of covered tofu; let stand 30 minutes. Remove plate, discard paper towels. Cut tofu slices into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Combine broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, oyster sauce and chili garlic sauce, stirring with a whisk.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 4 minutes or until done, stirring to crumble. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tofu; cook 4 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Add broth mixture to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
• Serve tofu mixture over rice. Sprinkle with onions.

MA-PO TOFU (SIMMERED TOFU WITH GROUND PORK)

Steps:

• Put oil in a deep 10-inch skillet or wok, preferably nonstick, and turn heat to medium-high. A minute later, add garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes, and cook just until they begin to sizzle, less than a minute. Add pork, and stir to break it up; cook, stirring occasionally, until it loses most of its pink color.
• Add scallions and stir; add stock. Cook for a minute or so, scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon if necessary to loosen any stuck bits of meat, then add tofu. Cook, stirring once or twice, until tofu is heated through, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the soy sauce; taste, and add salt and red pepper flakes as necessary. Garnish with cilantro if you like, and serve.

MAPO TOFU

Steps:

• Prepare the tofu: Cut the tofu into 3/4-inch cubes and put into a bowl. Bring a kettle of water to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and when the boiling subsides, pour hot water over the tofu to cover. Set aside for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large (14-inch) wok or (12-inch) skillet over medium heat, toast the peppercorns for 2 to 3 minutes, until super fragrant and slightly darkened. (A wisp of smoke is normal.) Let cool briefly, then pound with a mortar and pestle, or pulse in a spice grinder.
• Set a strainer over a measuring cup, then add the tofu to drain; reserve 1 1/2 cups of the soaking water, discarding the rest. Set the tofu and reserved soaking water near the stove with the peppercorns and other prepped ingredients for swift cooking.
• Reheat the wok or skillet over high. When hot - you can flick water in and it should sizzle and evaporate within seconds - swirl in the oil to evenly coat, then add the meat. Stir and mash into cooked and crumbly pieces, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add 2 1/2 tablespoons doubanjiang, the douchi (if using), ginger and red-pepper flakes (if using). Cook about 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly, until things are vivid reddish brown. Add the soy sauce and sugar, stir to combine, then add the tofu. Gently stir or shake the pan to combine the ingredients without breaking up the tofu much.
• Add the reserved 1 1/2 cups soaking water, bring to a vigorous simmer, and cook for about 3 minutes, agitating the pan occasionally, to let the tofu absorb the flavors of the sauce.
• Slightly lower the heat and taste the sauce. If needed, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of doubanjiang for heat, a pinch of salt for savoriness, or a sprinkle of sugar to tame heat.
• Add the scallions and stir to combine. Stir in the cornstarch slurry, then stir in enough to the mapo tofu to thicken to a soupy rather than a gravy-like finish. Sprinkle in the ground peppercorns, give the mixture one last stir to incorporate, then transfer to a shallow bowl. Serve immediately with lots of hot rice.

MA PO TOFU

Steps:

• Braise Onion, Garlic, Ginger, White Onion & Five Spice in Peanut Oil for a minute or two.
• Add Ground Turkey and cook until brown.
• Add Hot Red Pepper, Lime Juice, Tomato, 3/4 of the Sweet Red Pepper, 3/4 of the Green Onions, Tomato Catsup, Soy Sauce & Chicken consommé and cook (covered but check and stir often) on a medium heat until 3/4 of the liquid is absorbed.
• Add Tofu and cook until heated through (about 5 minutes).
• Add Remaining Sweet Red Pepper and Green Onions, along with the sesame oil, cook for 1 minute.
• Serve with rice or in lettuce leaf cups.

MA PO TOFU

Steps:

• Place 1 tablespoon of the chopped ginger into a large zip-lock bag, and reserve the remainder.
• Add the remaining marinade ingredients to the bowl (1 sliced green onion, 1 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons dry sherry, 2 teaspoons cornstarch), and mix well.
• Add the ground pork, mix marinade and ground pork together, and put in refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove hard stems from Shiitake mushrooms and slice finely.
• Blanch the tofu in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain.
• Combine the garlic with the reserved ginger, and process together with a stick blender or spice grinder until they form a thick paste.
• Heat large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the Sesame and Olive Oil (2 tbsp sesame, 1 tbsp olive) and just as it is starting to smoke, add the garlic/ginger pasted and stir-fry, stirring continuously for approximately 30 seconds (take care not to burn the mixture).
• Next add the Black Bean Hot Sauce, Szechwan Stir Fry Sauce, Chili Oil, Shiitake mushrooms, and stir-fry for approximately 60 seconds.
• Stir meat mixture, add it to the skillet, and continue to stir-fry over high heat for two to three minutes, until it looses its pinkish color.
• Toss in the tofu and the sliced green onions and continue to fry for about 45 seconds.
• Pour in the soy sauce and water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to moderate and cook for a couple of minutes.
• If there appears to be too much liquid in the pan contents, thicken with a little cornstarch and water.
• Serve with steamed rice.