Mapo Tofu

Wow. TIL my new phone takes potato photos, sorry.

Ingredients first, description below.

• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• toasted ground Szechuan pepper, 1.5 - 2 tablespoons carefully measured. Prepare some extra in case you want it at the end.
• 1 lb. Jimmy Dean Hot breakfast sausage (perfect upgrade cheat for ground pork in this dish) Most recipes call for half  or 1/4 of that, but I like the protein. You can use any meat, or none. I added some sautéed shrimp after it cooled off.
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp grated ginger
• 3 tbsp diced garlic (this is loud and proud with the ginger garlic, back off it it's too much for you)
• 2 non-generous tbsp Spicy Broad Bean Paste - this is the tricky bit, you might have to Amazon it, but it's a requirement. It's a must. I waited a month for it. Szechuan broad bean paste here is a popular one. There are crummy ones, so read reviews and shop around. I bet you could sub out with chili garlic paste and fermented soybean paste or shrimp paste, but this stuff has depth that is important.
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 16 oz. tofu, pressed and cubed to 3/4" or 1/2" to fit in spoons
• 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch made into slurry
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil for the finish
• 1 fat or 3 thin diced scallions for garnish
• Sugar to taste to balance, I used about 2 teaspoons.
• Hot pepper oil - 1 tsp or to taste, or none

The beginning: I first heard about this dish a couple years ago from a "Top 100 Foods of the World" and it was number one at the time. I'm scratching my head, tofu and pepper sauce with pork? Really? Best food in the WORLD?

Turns out, really. At least way up there.

I got to playing with Szechuan pepper last year, and finally got around to making the MOST Szechuan thing ever. It's FUN! This is the best dish to showcase this condiment.

Szechuan peppercorns are different. They don't have hot heat, it's a numbing buzzy fizzy thing that you just have to try. It's worth Amazoning some to try. It is spicy, though. For hardcore capsaicin heads, add a ton more of fresh fried chiles and more chili oil, look for other recipes. This recipe is "average US person" hot and it did tear me up a bit, totally worth it.

This is a good recipe for "mis en place", or getting everything prepared in little bowls ahead of time and having everything ready, like they do in cooking shows. It goes pretty fast.

COOKING TIME! 

Heat the oil, toss in a couple flecks of ginger to see it bubbling. In with the ground peppercorns. Keep heat med-low and when the oil is reddish and fragrant, it's time to add the ginger, Fry for a minute and add the garlic. 

Add the ground pork and soy sauce, cook it on medium high and break it up into little bits. Add the chicken broth, cornstarch slurry and the tofu. Toss VERY gently to coat and let it cook a few minutes on lower heat.

I told you this would go fast!

FINISHING: Add sugar to taste, hot pepper oil, the small dashes of sesame oil, and at the very last, the green onion. More Szechuan ground pepper if you're feeling it. I tend to garnish everything with lime juice, so I did. I bet fresh parsley or cilantro would be gilding the lily, but that's how I roll.

I served myself about 4 ounces to taste, and it was glorious. A lot going on. It had that perfect balance. I was impressed with the simplicity of the recipe and the complex finished product. Super satisfying after a long walk around the lake, stupid grin satisfying.  

Hashtag saturday morning forever.

 I might marinate/grill/smoke the tofu a bit next time.

I made this to freeze for lunches, and it gets better as it sits, the tofu soaks up the flavors. I got about 6 small servings from this. Also this is delicious cold from the fridge. I now have 4 small servings for lunches.

Have some fun researching the history of Mapo Tofu and Szechuan peppercorns if any of this is new to you. For you old timer Szechuan heads, it was a very good first try, I'm getting there!