Home-Style Ma Po Tofu
Ma Po Tofu (also known as Grandma’s pock-marked Tofu) as taught to me by my mother-in-law
Ma Po Tofu is a classic Szechuan dish rumored to have been invented by a widower with a pock-marked face who lived in Chengdu. Whatever the story, this humble dish is something that transcends the sum of its parts–if you know which ingredients to purchase, and a few little cooking secrets. This is the first dish my husband ever cooked for me, about a month after we started dating. (It’s also the first dish my mother-in-law re-taught me, when she realized my husband hadn’t been listening to her all these years, and never picked up on the nuances!)
Firstly, good ma po tofu is a rustic, yet delicately balanced dish–as much as I love pork, the ground pork in this dish serves as more of a condiment, or a flavoring to the tofu. I used to use more pork when I made this dish without guidance, but my mother-in-law showed me the way. More is not always better. The ingredients need to be in harmony.
Secondly, the texture of this dish is just as important as its flavor. When cooking the ground pork, you need to press down on it with your spatula, breaking up and crumbling the pork until it becomes pebbly. This way, the bits of pork can cling to the soft, spicy cubes of tofu.
And thirdly, the quality of the tofu, and the spicy bean paste is integral to this dish. Which is not to say you need to go seeking out something expensive. I grew up on Sunrise brand soft tofu, which you can get locally at Uwajimaya for 99 cents a package. My mother-in-law only uses this brand of hot Szechuan bean sauce for this dish. It’s also available at Uwajimaya.
And lastly–this should be self-explanatory–toast and grind your Szechuan peppercorns before starting this dish. Simply place the peppercorns in a hot pan, and shake the pan lightly until they start smoking, and begin to pop. Remove the pan from the heat, and either grind them in your spice grinder, or do what my mother-in-law taught me: simply place the peppercorns between two sheets of paper towel, and roll the over with a rolling pin. (Use your muscles so they are crushed as fine as possible.)
toasted, ground Szechuan peppercorns to taste (1-2 tbsp depending on how “ma la”–numbingly spicy–you’d like this dish to be)
In a bowl, mix together the ground pork, Shao Xing wine, light and dark soy sauces, sesame oil, and 1 tbsp cornstarch. Set aside to marinade for 20 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil and the chili oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and scallions, and stir-fry for a minute to allow the flavor to release into the oil. Add the ground pork, crumbling it with your spatula so the pieces of meat become small and pebbly. (Take your time–this is an important step, and you want to do a thorough job.)
Carefully, add the tofu to the pan, and heat through. Add the hot bean sauce and toss carefully, making sure the sauce coats all the tofu and pork evenly. Make a slurry with the remaining 1 tbsp of cornstarch and 2 tbsp water. Add the slurry to the pan. When it bubbles up and thickens, remove it from the heat and serve with steamed rice.Posted: February 10th, 2010 under Uncategorized.
Tags: Chinese, Chinese New Year
Comments
Comment from lorna
Time February 10, 2010 at 9:16 PM
I know…it’s very popular! Hope it turns out for you.
Comment from Valentina
Time February 10, 2010 at 9:20 PM
Hi Lorna! Is there a way to prepare this dish without the tofu? As much as I love it, I discovered I’m extremely allergic to it, so now I’m on the quest of finding substitutes for dishes like this one (if that is possible here).
The photos are gorgeous!
Thanks!
Comment from lorna
Time February 10, 2010 at 9:23 PM
Hi Valentina, this is a tofu dish, so you can replace the tofu with anything. I guess you could try cooking the meat and sauce with something that has a similar soft texture, like scrambled eggs, but it wouldn’t be the same dish. I bet it would be tasty, though.
Comment from Bruce
Time February 10, 2010 at 10:13 PM
Your MPT is the best!
Comment from Rhia
Time February 10, 2010 at 11:37 PM
Thanks for posting your recipe! I tried to find a good one a couple of months ago, but never found one that seemed “right.” I bet this is what I was looking for (sans pork of course).
Comment from Rose
Time February 11, 2010 at 9:28 AM
I’ve been looking for a good version of this recipe. Yours looks perfect! I can’t wait to try.
Comment from Lourdes
Time February 11, 2010 at 9:35 AM
What gorgeous photos – my mouth is watering!!!!!
Comment from lorna
Time February 11, 2010 at 10:02 AM
Valentina: a chef just told me to sub in gomadofu or jimani dofu if you’re allergic to soy.
ETA: Apparently these are not ingredients you can easily find in a supermarket–the chef makes them herself.
Comment from Henry Lo
Time February 11, 2010 at 10:21 AM
I like the idea of ma-puo soft scrabbled egg myself!
Comment from julieping
Time February 11, 2010 at 12:35 PM
Hi there. Love the recipe. The link for the bean sauce is not working though. I would love to know which brand to get. Thanks!
Comment from lorna
Time February 11, 2010 at 2:42 PM
Julie: oops, fixed the link! It should work now.
Comment from Jay
Time February 11, 2010 at 9:52 PM
No ginger? No chicken stock? Wow…so different than mine!
Comment from brian hartman
Time February 11, 2010 at 10:09 PM
This is amazing, we are going to try and make it Sunday! Awesome post.
Comment from lorna
Time February 12, 2010 at 12:02 AM
Jay: I sometimes use a little ginger, but Henry’s mom does not. And we used to use chicken stock, but she shook her head with disapproval when we asked her about using chicken stock the last time she was over at our house.
Comment from Jay
Time February 12, 2010 at 7:12 AM
Cool. Can’t wait to try your version. Of course, I’ll probably add elements of yours to my ever-changing hybrid recipe!
Comment from lorna
Time February 12, 2010 at 3:19 PM
Jay: your version is absolutely fantastic. I like it as much as Henry’s mom’s version.
Comment from wasabi prime
Time February 12, 2010 at 4:57 PM
I need to try this — I do a quickie version that isn’t very traditional, and this recipe looks so delicious and rich in flavor (and spice!).
Comment from Christy
Time February 14, 2010 at 11:05 AM
Where do you buy your Szechuan peppercorns? The ones I’ve bought here in Seattle have been very mild–I think they’re irradiated due to FDA regs. Is there a good mail order source that gets around this?
Also, can you point me toward a brand of Shao Xing wine? Thanks!
Comment from lorna
Time February 14, 2010 at 6:21 PM
Christy: You’re right, the ones we get in Seattle are not as pungent. I was lucky and got some unpasteurized Szechuan peppercorns from my friend, who brought them in from China. Normally, I just use more of the ones we get here in Seattle to get more of a numbing flavor. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
I haven’t bought a lot of different brands of Shao Xing wine–the one I have now in my pantry is just the regular stuff from Uwajimaya. You can also use dry sherry.
Comment from Angie
Time February 17, 2010 at 3:21 PM
How well does that can of sauce keep? I’d hate to buy such a large can of it and then only use a small amount. Do you just put it in a container and refrigerate it?
Comment from lorna
Time February 17, 2010 at 11:51 PM
Hi Angie, I actually buy the smaller cans at Uwajimaya, but I could only find a photo of the larger can online. Don’t know how long it keeps–about a week, covered and refrigerated, I guess?
Comment from Angie
Time February 22, 2010 at 10:38 AM
Oh goodie! Yay for small cans! I love that waj also carries small cans of coconut milk! Makes life easier when I don’t have to think of another dish to use the rest..
Comment from Jessamyn
Time April 28, 2010 at 2:06 PM
Finally, the coveted Ma Po Tofu recipe! I’ll have to make this and compare it to the Fuchsia Dunlop version we’ve been making. Seems similar, except for the lack of chicken stock.
Comment from ph
Time February 10, 2010 at 9:13 PM
This is one of my favorite things that you make. I’ve always tried to replicate on my own but could never get it quite right. ..Until now!