Ma Po Tofu

Ingredients

• 450g Tofu
• 100g Minced Beef
• 1/2 tbs Sesame Seed Oil
• 1 1/2 tsp Doubanjiang
• 1/2 tsp Fermented Black Beans
• 1 tbs Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Sichuan pepper
• 1 tbs Soy Sauce
• 400ml Water
• 2 tbs Olive Oil
• 2 chopped Scallions
• 4 Spring Onions
• 2 cloves chopped Garlic
• 4 sliced Ginger
• 2 1/2 tbs Water
• 1 tbs Cornstarch

Quantities are the original recipe’s. The cost is our own estimate — typical own-brand supermarket prices for these quantities, divided by 4 servings. TheMealDB does not state how many a dish serves, so 4 is our assumption, not theirs. Treat it as “about this much a head”, not a shopping bill.

Method

1. Season the minced beef with a pinch of salt and the sesame oil, mix and set aside.
2. Combine the cornstarch with the 2 1/2 tbs of water in a small bowl and set this slurry aside.
3. Cut the tofu into 2cm cubes, then lower into boiling salted water for 1 minute before draining carefully.
4. Heat the olive oil in a wok and fry the beef until it turns crisp and browned, then lift it out, keeping the oil in the wok.
5. Fry the doubanjiang gently for 1 minute, then add the garlic, the white parts of the spring onions, the ginger and the fermented black beans, cooking for 30 seconds until fragrant.
6. Stir in the pepper.
7. Pour in the 400ml water and bring to the boil over high heat, then slide in the tofu cubes.
8. Add the soy sauce and the cooked beef, lower the heat and simmer gently for 6-8 minutes.
9. Scatter in the chopped scallions.
10. Restir the cornstarch slurry, pour in half, wait around 30 seconds, then add the remaining half, stirring gently and tasting for salt as you go.
11. Once the sauce clings thickly to the tofu, transfer everything to a serving dish and dust with ground Sichuan pepper.
12. Serve at once with steamed rice.

These steps were written by StreetOwl from the original recipe, in British English, with every oven temperature and cooking time checked against the source. They are not the original author’s words. If anything reads oddly, the original is linked below and it wins.