Seeking a delectable culinary adventure that tantalizes your taste buds? Embark on a journey to explore the vibrant flavors of bean curd and spicy pork, a harmonious fusion of tender, savory protein and fiery, aromatic spices. Prepare to immerse yourself in a symphony of textures and flavors as you discover the perfect recipe that elevates this classic dish to new heights of gustatory delight. Let your imagination run wild as you explore the diverse world of culinary possibilities, from traditional Chinese stir-fries to innovative fusion creations, each offering a unique interpretation of this timeless combination.
Let's cook with our recipes!
MA-PO TOFU (SPICY BEAN CURD WITH BEEF)
Provided by Shirley Cheng
Categories Wine Wok Ginger Stir-Fry Lunar New Year Ground Beef Tofu Spice Leek Soy Sauce
Yield Makes 4 portions
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- In dry heavy skillet over moderate heat, toast peppercorns, stirring, until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl and let cool, then grind in spice grinder to fine powder. Set aside.
- In large pot over moderately high heat, bring 4 cups water to boil. Add tofu, remove from heat, and let steep, uncovered, 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer tofu to medium bowl and set aside.
- In small bowl, whisk together hot bean paste, black-bean paste, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, and chili powder. Set aside.
- In small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water. Set aside.
- In wok or heavy large sauté pan over moderate heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add beef, ginger, garlic, and scallions and stir-fry until meat is browned, about 1 minute. Add rice wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of moisture evaporates, 1 to 2 minutes. Add hot bean paste mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is incorporated and oil in pan turns red, about 1 minute.
- Add tofu, leeks, stock, light and dark soy sauces, and remaining 2 tablespoons oyster sauce and bring to boil. Whisk cornstarch mixture to recombine, then add to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until juices thicken slightly, about 1 minute.
- Transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with Sichuan peppercorn powder and cilantro, if using. Serve immediately.
STIR-FRIED BEAN CURD WITH GROUND PORK AND OYSTER SAUCE
Provided by Food Network
Yield 4 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Mix together the pork, the egg, 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch, the five-spice powder, 1 tablespoon of the scallions, 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of the sesame oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place the vegetable oil in a hot wok over very high heat, then add small clumps of the pork mixture. Stir-fry for about 1 minute, or until the clumps are browned and cooked through. Remove from wok and reserve.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add to the wok, 6 tablespoons of scallions, the minced red pepper, the minced green chile, the minced garlic, and the minced ginger root. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the browned pork and stir well, tossing with the remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons of sugar. Turn heat high and add the chicken stock, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Stir well and bring to a boil. Mix the remaining 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with a little cold water in a cup, then stir into the wok. Gently stir in the bean curd cubes, taking care not to break them up.
- Remove from wok and place on serving platter. Sprinkle with the remaining half-teaspoon of sesame oil.
BEAN CURD AND SPICY PORK
Provided by Marian Burros
Categories dinner, main course
Time 20m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a nonstick skillet, heat the oil, and saute the garlic, pepper flakes and ginger over medium heat for 30 seconds, stirring.
- Add the pork, and stir to break up, cooking until the pork browns.
- Add the broccoli, and stir well.
- Stir in the tofu, stock, Sherry, black beans, sugar and soy sauce. Cover, and cook over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, until the broccoli is tender but still crisp.
- Mix the cornstarch with a little water to make a smooth paste. Stir into the skillet, and cook over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt. Serve over cooked rice.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 250, UnsaturatedFat 6 grams, Carbohydrate 18 grams, Fat 9 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 26 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 1015 milligrams, Sugar 4 grams, TransFat 0 grams
TOFU, FRIED, WITH PORK AND BLACK-BEAN SAUCE (PENG'S HOME-STYLE BEAN CURD)
Steps:
- Stir together pork, wine, and salt in a small bowl.
- Cut tofu lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut each slice crosswise into thirds. Blot tofu pieces between layers of paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Repeat with 1 or 2 changes of dry paper towels.
- Heat 1 cup peanut oil in wok over high heat until thermometer registers 375°F. Cook tofu in 5 or 6 batches, stirring to keep slices from sticking together and turning over as needed, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Transfer tofu as fried with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Return oil to 375°F between batches. Carefully transfer oil to a heatproof container to cool (before discarding), then wipe wok clean.
- Reheat wok over high heat until smoking, then add remaining 3 tablespoons peanut oil, swirling to coat wok evenly. Add chiles and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add pork mixture and stir-fry until no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes, then add black beans and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add stock, tofu, and soy sauce and simmer 3 minutes.
- Stir together potato starch and water in a small bowl, then add to tofu mixture in wok and simmer, stirring until sauce is thickened, about 1 minute. Add scallion greens, stirring until just wilted, then remove from heat and stir in sesame oil. Stir in chile oil to taste.
BROCCOLI AND BEAN CURD WITH PORK
Provided by Marian Burros
Categories dinner, one pot, main course
Time 25m
Yield 2 to 3 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Drain bean curd and press between paper towels to remove moisture. Slice into 1/4-inch cubes.
- Remove tough stems from broccoli to remove moisture. Slice into 1/4-inch cubes.
- Remove tough stems for soup or puree.
- Heat oil in wok or large skillet; add garlic, ginger and chili paste and stir. When mixture begins to color, reduce heat and add bean curd. Stir for 2 or 3 minutes until bean curd begins to color. Add pork, if used, and cook until it loses pink color. Add broccoli and stir for 2 minutes. Add hoisin sauce; stir and cover. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Serve.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 207, UnsaturatedFat 7 grams, Carbohydrate 24 grams, Fat 9 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 13 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 279 milligrams, Sugar 7 grams, TransFat 0 grams
MA PO TOFU (SPICY SZECHWAN BEAN CURD)
Ma Po, in Chinese, means 'pock-marked old lady'. It refers to a famous Szechwan chef's wife, who created this dish in the 19th century in the provincial capital, Chengdu. Be warned! Ma Po Dofu is hot and spicy, and tofu has never tasted like this before! For a vegetarian version, omit the meat, add more tofu and, after blanching, place in the marinade ingredients for 30 minutes. Brown bean paste/sauce is salty brown sauce made from fermented soybeans, and is found in jars at most Asian markets. It is also known as yellow bean paste/sauce, soy bean condiment, "Yuan Shai Shih" or "Mo Yuen Shih". If unavailable, substitute with black bean sauce. For the Szechwan chile paste, I substituted "toban jiang", (also known as "toban jan/jyan"). Try to obtain the Szechwan peppercorns. They are what give Szechwan cuisine its distinctive flavor. This delicious dish is loosely adapted from a recipe in "Mrs. Chiang's Szechwan Cookbook". It looks complicated, but I assure you it isn't! Just assemble all the ingredients before cooking.
Provided by Daydream
Categories Soy/Tofu
Time 55m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 24
Steps:
- Place 1 tablespoon of the chopped ginger in a medium-sized bowl, and reserve the remainder.
- Add the remaining marinade ingredients to the bowl (1 sliced spring onion, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 tablespoon of Chinese rice wine, 2 teaspoons cornstarch), and mix well.
- Add the ground beef or pork, give it another stir and set aside for approx 30 minutes.
- Place the tree ears or shiitake mushrooms in small bowl, pour over boiling water, and soak for about 15 minutes until they are soft and gelatinous.
- Drain the soaked tree ears, rinse, remove hard stems, and slice finely.
- Blanch the tofu in boiling water for 2- 3 minutes, then drain.
- Combine the garlic with the reserved ginger, and process together with a stick blender or spice grinder until they form the consistency of a thick paste.
- Heat a wok over a moderately high flame.
- Add the peanut oil, and just as it is starting to smoke, add the garlic/ginger paste and stir-fry, stirring continuously, for approximately 30 seconds.
- Next add the brown bean paste, Szechwan chile paste, water chestnuts and tree ears, and stir-fry for a further minute.
- Give the meat mixture a stir, add it to the wok, and continue to stir-fry over high heat for two to three minutes, until it loses its pinkish color.
- Toss in the tofu and the sliced green onions and continue to toss and fry for about 45 seconds.
- Finally, add the sugar and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
- Pour in the soy sauce& water, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to moderate and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the Szechwan pepper corns and stir thoroughly.
- If there appears to be too much liquid in the wok contents, thicken with a little cornstarch and water.
- Add 1 teaspoon sesame oil and season to taste with salt.
- Serve with steamed rice, and garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 364, Fat 25.7, SaturatedFat 6.3, Cholesterol 38.6, Sodium 813.8, Carbohydrate 11.5, Fiber 2.2, Sugar 3.1, Protein 22.2
BEAN CURD SZECHUAN-STYLE (MA PO DOFU)
Literally translates as" "pock-marked old lady tofu." For more background see Daydream's recipe (which is very different from this one) "recipe #78452" A simpler version from some of the others I have seen on this site. This version is adapted from a Chinese cookbook that my Mandarin tutee gave me as a college graduation gift--"Chinese Cooking" from JG press. It is very helpful to have all of your ingredients prepared and ready to go before you start the wok because it goes very fast from that point on! Where it calls for 'hot bean sauce' I use tobanjan/lajiaojiang (chili bean paste), 'Lan Chi' (lanji in pinyin) brand, but the recipe says you can also substitute two dried red chiles. You can experiment with different tofu to see what keeps its shape the best; I have personally found that the semi-firm, locally made fresh tofu that I can get at the Uwajimaya here holds up well. This recipe reminds me of the tofu that I used to order at one of my favorite restaurants in Shanghai.
Provided by Cinizini
Categories Soy/Tofu
Time 27m
Yield 2-3 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Cut bean curd into .5-inch cubes, place in a colander and leave to drain for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl blend the marinade: 1 tsp of soy sauce, sherry, and sweet bean or hoisin sauce; add pork and stir to coat.
- Stir in 1 tsp of the oil and marinate for 15 minutes.
- Heat a wok or wide frying pan over high heat.
- When pan is hot, add remaining veg oil.
- When oil begins to heat (i.e. passes the "water droplet test" where a sprinkling of water thrown into the oil starts to crackle--careful here) add ginger and garlic.
- Stir once, then add pork and stir-fry until meat isn't pink any more, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in hot bean sauce (lajiaojiang or tobanjan).
- Add drained beancurd, the water and the 2 Tbsp soy sauce.
- Simmer for 3 minutes, then add green onion.
- Re-mix cornstarch and water with a fork, add to pan and cook, stirring, until sauce bubbles and thickens (this happens very quickly).
- Sprinkle with crushed szechuan peppercorns just before serving.
- Serve over large mounds of hot white rice.
- I have served this along with some stir-fried Chinese broccoli (gai lan) seasoned with a little oyster sauce, or some baby bok choy stir fried with a little sesame oil.
- For a vegetarian version, this recipe also works if you omit the meat.
- You could also try using some kind of veggie sausage, like Morningstar crumbles, in place of the pork.
Tips:
- To make the perfect mapo tofu, choose firm or extra firm tofu and press it well to remove excess water. This will help the tofu absorb the flavors of the sauce better.
- Use high-quality chili bean paste for the best flavor. Look for a paste that is thick and has a deep red color.
- If you don't have Shaoxing wine, you can substitute dry sherry or Chinese rice wine.
- If you like your mapo tofu spicy, add more chili bean paste or a few drops of chili oil.
- Garnish your mapo tofu with chopped green onions, cilantro, or chili peppers for a pop of color and flavor.
Conclusion:
Mapo tofu is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a quick weeknight meal. It is a great source of protein and vegetables, and it can be easily customized to your liking. Whether you like it mild or spicy, vegetarian or with meat, there is a mapo tofu recipe out there for everyone. So next time you're looking for a new and exciting dish to try, give mapo tofu a try. You won't be disappointed!
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