Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐

Mapo tofu is probably one of the most famous Szechuan food known to Western World. Originating from the spicy region of Szechuan, restaurants serve many variations of Mapo Tofu, some tongue numbing, sweat bursting while some can be milder. 

While I like my mapo tofu spicy, I don't like it to be tongue numbing hot that it kills all taste buds to really enjoy this tender and aromatic dish. In my search for best mapo tofu, I come across 'Cooking with the Dog' on you tube and this wonderful Japanese lady not only did a great cooking demonstration, the outcome is also wonderful. Since then, it's been a popular dish frequently made in my kitchen.                   

Mapo Tofu (serves 2)

Ingredients:-
1 tbsp sesame Oil
100 g ground Pork (3.53 oz)
1 tbsp chopped Garlic
1 tbsp chopped Ginger
1/2 tbsp dou ban jiang - chili bean paste
1 tbsp tian mian jiang - sweet bean sauce
1 tbsp sake + 1 tbsp sake
chicken stock (½ tsp granulated chicken stock + 150 ml hot water)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 block of firm tofu (350 g /12.3 oz)
30 g garlic chives / chives / spring onion, cut into thin pieces
cornstarch mixture (2 tsp cornstarch + 1⅓ tbsp water)

Note: dou ban jiang & tian mian jiang combi can be replaced with same amount of 'la dou ban jiang (辣豆瓣酱)' and a tiny pinch of sugar to taste

Methods:
1. Take the tofu out of the package and drain. Wrap it in a heavy paper towel and place a plate on top to get rid of excess water. Repeat until paper towel is no longer soaking wet when wrapping the tofu. 

2. After twenty minutes, unwrap the tofu. Cut the tofu horizontally in the middle to make two blocks. Then make vertical slices one way on the tofu, and then the other way to have three quarter inch cubes.

3. Heat up a pan to high heat and put sesame oil in the pan. When oil is hot, add the minced pork. Stir fry the pork at high heat and break it into small pieces. 

4. Once the pork is thoroughly cooked, reduce heat to medium low and add chopped ginger and garlic. Cook until aromatic.

5. Move the pork to one side and make extra space on one side of the pan. Place douboujiang and tian mian jiang sauces on the pan and stir quickly to avoid burning. Stir frying the sauce at low heat helps to release the aroma of the sauces.

6. Mix the sauce & pork together and stir fry until the pork are evenly coated with sauce.

7. Add 1 tbsp of sake, and stir until the moisture disappears. Then add the chicken stock, soy sauce, and the reserved 1 tbsp of sake to the mixture. Gently stir.

8. Add the tofu cubes gently into the mixture, bring the sauce to a boil at high heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce heat to medium and let tofu simmer for 2-3 minutes so tofu can absorb the flavours. 

9. Add the garlic chives and gently stir (to avoid breaking up the tofu). Add the cornstarch mixture to the mapo tofu by pouring it in around the edge of the pan. 

10. Gently mix the starchy liquid into the mapo tofu. Put the pan back to heat at high heat for 30 seconds so the liquid will thicken. Dish out and serve with sprinkle of Szechuan peppercorn powder (optional) and steam white rice.

超级喜欢吃麻婆豆腐，可是不常做因为嫩豆腐在哥本哈根得要到特色店铺才买得到。用这个方法做出来的麻婆豆腐，豆腐爽滑，味道浓郁特别下饭。

麻婆豆腐 (2 人份)

材料:-
1 汤匙 麻油
100 克 猪绞肉
1 汤匙蒜细末
1 汤匙姜细末
½ 汤匙豆瓣酱
1 汤匙甜面酱
1 汤匙清酒 + 1 汤匙清酒
高汤 (½ 茶匙鸡精粉 + 150 毫升热水)
1 汤匙酱油
1 块豆腐 (~350 克)
30 克 蒜苗/香葱，切成小段湿淀粉 (2 茶匙玉米粉/栗粉 + 1⅓ 汤匙水)

注: 豆瓣酱和甜面酱可用辣豆瓣酱来代替。如用辣豆瓣，加少许糖。

做法:-
1. 将豆腐从包装取出，用厨房专用纸巾包裹，然后用盘压顶，把豆腐内多余的水分挤出。纸巾湿透后，更换新纸巾再吸，大约20分钟。

2. 当豆腐大致上出水后，把豆腐切成大约半寸方块。

3. 把锅用高温加热，放入麻油。 麻油香味溢出后（代表油热了），加入猪绞肉。慢慢炒至肉末散开，而且变成深棕色。

4. 将火调低至中火后加入姜蒜末，与肉末一起炒出香气。把肉拨到锅的一边，然后加入豆瓣酱和甜面酱（或辣豆瓣酱），用中火炒至香。要经常搅拌，以免粘锅或炒焦。 

5. 将肉末与酱炒匀，然后加入1汤匙清酒，炒到酒精蒸发。 

6. 加入高汤，酱油，和另外1汤匙的清酒。搅拌均匀后把嫩豆腐加入。

7. 把火开大，将高汤和豆腐煮滚后，再把火转小，让豆腐以中小火慢煮2-3分钟以吸如高汤。注意火候不要太大，以免豆腐开裂。

8. 加入葱花，然后用湿淀粉沿锅边加入勾芡，轻轻搅拌以免把豆腐拌碎。

9. 再次开大火，将湿淀粉煮滚以让豆腐酱汁变稠收汁。

10. 出锅装盘后再加入花椒粉末，配以白饭，人间美味!