Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Car Pushed Into Anacostia River By Train
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Devendra Banhart @ 9:30 Club
Saturday Thanks Don't End At Thanksgiving Photo: November 28, 2009
Dish of the Week: Ma po tofu
Ma po tofu is a classic Szechuan dish that includes Szechuan peppercorns, tofu, and ground pork or beef long simmered in a claypot. The Szechuan peppercorns lend an unusual hot-numbing spice, as well as a slightly grassy flavor. Many variations have evolved from that original dish that eliminated or substituted the peppercorns, the meat or the claypot. It's also common to go to Asian grocery stores and find prepackaged ma po tofu sauce.
But for me, the thought of the real dish can make my forehead break out into a slight sweat. For tofu naysayers, a good recipe will help to imbue the tofu with a lot of flavor and reverse many aversions to the often bland ingredient.
You can try the version at Great Wall on 14th Street though the best versions can be found at Hong Kong Palace in Falls Church and Joe's Noodle House in Rockville. For anyone who aspires to make the dish at home, this is my personal recipe.
1 lb. ground turkey (for the healthier folks) or ground pork
2 tbsp. soy sauce (approx.)
1 tsp. cornstarch (approx.)
2 tbsp. sesame oil (approx.)
2 juice-box sized cubes of tofu, cut into small cubes
1 chicken bullion cube (you can substitute 1 cup chicken stock)
1 cup water
2 stalks of scallion/green onion, whites sliced and green sections cut in approx. 2″ lengths
Asian hot sauce and/or jalapeno peppers (optional)
Mix up the ground meat with a mixture of the soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch. (Try smelling the mixture, and you’ll get an idea of what you like and proportions.) Heat some oil in a pan or wok and cook the meat until it’s just a little bit pink (when you see the other instructions, you will realize this stops it from becoming overcooked). Make sure that it is broken up into small chunks. Remove meat from pan, trying to keep any residual juices in the pan.
In the same pan, heat the cup of water with the bullion cube. I’ve discovered the bullion cube gives a little more flavor and a hint of MSG that makes an enormous difference. When it boils, add the tofu and cook for five minutes. Reincorporate the ground meat into the pan, and add scallions. Add hot sauce to taste. For a decorative finish, garnish with additional chopped scallion on top.
If I have it, I slice some ginger and heat it up in some oil before adding the bullion stock to give it an extra kick.
Small Bites
Street jerks
DCist reader Erin Lamos tips us off that a cart at 4th and E Sts. NW is offering jerk chicken wraps. She writes, "they taste awesome and are a great deal (very substantial) for just $5! From what I hear, it's part of an attempt to get food cards to sell healthier lunch options." With coconut rice and mango salsa, it sounds worth checking out.
A burrito and a movie
The documentary Food Inc. highlights how multinational food companies stretch their buck and frankenstein food to the detriment of their consumers. If you haven't already seen the film, Chipotle is sponsoring free screenings at 7:30 p.m. on July 15 at Bethesda Row and the Landmark E St. Cinema on July 16.
Calling Francophiles
This weekend is Bastille Day, celebrating the found eventual found of the First Republic of France. So if you think you're French or maybe are French, Going Out Gurus has a nice list of Bastille Day celebrations, and folks can lament the closing of Les Halles.
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Thanks so much for the ma po tofu recipe!
Is it Mapo tofu without the bean paste? I've never had it without.
The kind my family grew up eating never had it. So that's just my personal preference, but you could always use the Chinese hot sauce with black beans, and it gives it some of that flavor.
Yes, but toban djan can be hard to find. In that case I generally substitute miso and sriracha or some other chile sauce/puree.
Wait, I didn't want to respond to this. WTF?
Mabo doufu love!
I make it all the time, not least because it's very savory, fairly easy and not entirely bad for you. When I'm not feeling lazy I tend to go by the NHK recipe, which calls for pulled sandwich steak and a bit less spice. But when I do feel lazy I just go with instant sauce. Unfortunately, while there were several varieties I could find at Tan-A in Richmond, I wasn't able to find any at Bangkok 57 or the other Asian markets on Columbia Pike. Where can I find the mabo doufu sauce I crave?
Mmmmm. I love ma po tofu! And now I can finally make it at home! Thanks for the recipe! A question: Do you drain the tofu first?
Yes. Drain the tofu first.
Me neither. It needs that fermented taste, too...from fermented black beans. The heat from dried minced chilis that you saute in the oil to bring out its flavor. You can also get Szechuan peppercorn oil to cook with instead of sesame (in place of actual peppercorns)...or chili oil.
I'll be honest, I use a wet sauce packet that combines all these ingredients because I'm lazy. I add some Szechuan peppercorn oil, though, for the numbing sensation. However, not all ma po sauces are alike...some are pretty gross. The ones I use are very hard to find (and I've never found them in DC Asian markets). I get them when I'm in Houston or online.
I've had those wraps at 4th and E and they are dang good. Mmmmm, coconut rice. Definitely worth checking out if you're at the courthouse for some reason or another...
Thanks for the recipe, Jamie. And great article.
I'll have to try those places the next time I'm in the DC area.
If you're interested, visit my site, TofuWatch.com. I write about soybean cake and other essential topics.
That includes recipes and dishes, such as mapo tofu.
http://tofuwatch.com/category/mapo-tofu/
If you or others from the DC area are in the Seattle area, try Old Sichuan. It's worth it.
http://tofuwatch.com/2009/05/when-hunger-strikes-seek-mapo-tofu/
Weekend? Bastille Day is Tuesday.