Have you ever had a craving for a dish that tantalizes your taste buds with its savory and piquant flavors? Look no further than "Chef Chan's Ma Paul Tofu with Minced Pork," a culinary masterpiece that combines the tender texture of tofu and the richness of minced pork. This unique dish, originating from the bustling streets of Hong Kong, has gained recognition for its ability to satisfy even the most discerning palate. In this comprehensive guide, we will take you on a culinary journey, exploring the origins, ingredients, and step-by-step instructions for preparing this delectable dish in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
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.
MA-PO TOFU (SIMMERED TOFU WITH GROUND PORK)
I have long enjoyed stir-fried tofu creations like ma-po tofu, a classic dish from Sichuan. But I found making them difficult. This version is easy and quick.
Provided by Mark Bittman
Categories dinner, easy, quick, weekday, main course
Time 20m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Put oil in a deep 10-inch skillet or wok, preferably nonstick, and turn heat to medium-high. A minute later, add garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes, and cook just until they begin to sizzle, less than a minute. Add pork, and stir to break it up; cook, stirring occasionally, until it loses most of its pink color.
- Add scallions and stir; add stock. Cook for a minute or so, scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon if necessary to loosen any stuck bits of meat, then add tofu. Cook, stirring once or twice, until tofu is heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the soy sauce; taste, and add salt and red pepper flakes as necessary. Garnish with cilantro if you like, and serve.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 228, UnsaturatedFat 9 grams, Carbohydrate 6 grams, Fat 15 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 19 grams, SaturatedFat 5 grams, Sodium 523 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams
CHEF CHAN'S MA PAUL TOFU WITH MINCED PORK
At Wu Liang Ye in Manhattan, the Ma Paul Tofu is zippy with flavor, and yet its braised cubes melt creamily. With a little ground pork and leek for texture, the dish is simple to make, once the shopping is done, and comes together quickly. Take care not to overcook the tofu.
Provided by Jonathan Reynolds
Categories easy, quick, main course
Time 30m
Yield 3 servings (or 2 for addicts)
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Drain tofu and place on a cutting board. Slice horizontally into thirds. Return stack of slices to tofu container and cut into the tofu crosswise and lengthwise to make 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch cubes. Cover with water and set aside.
- In a skillet or wok over medium-high heat, stir-fry pork until no longer pink, about 1 minute. Add the oil, and when hot, add the leek, chili-soybean paste, garlic and peppercorns. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Pour the water off the tofu, and add the tofu to the skillet, shaking the pan so the tofu settles into the broth. Simmer until very tender, about 5 minutes. Serve with or over rice but never under it.
IRON CHEF CHINESE - CHEF CHEN'S MAPO TOFU
I really respect Iron Chef Chen as a chef. He seems to be a wonderful mentor to many young chefs working under him. He caught my attention as a Iron Chef Chinese on Iron Chef TV program and really enjoyed watching him improvise many recipes. I learned a lot just by watching and copied many of his ideas from the show that I now incorporate into my cooking repertoire. Since then, I've looked for his cookbooks and found 4 in Japanese language. I love all his recipes, especially his famous Mapo Tofu or Mapo Doufu. His dad was a pioneer in introducing Szechuwan cooking to Japanese and he is known as a father of Mapo Doufu in Japan because he was apparently the first Chinese man to cook something so spicy as this dish in Japan. It is now very famous in Japan and Iron Chef Chen Kenichi continues with that tradition at his restaurants in Japan. I wish Chinese and Japanese sauces and other culinary ingredients are known in the West for their proper Chinese and Japanese names like most Indonesian or Malasian sauces ie sambal olek etc instead of using generic names such as bean sauce, etc because it can get very confusing using those generic names. For this dish, you need two Chinese sauces/pastes http://www.foodsubs.com/CondimntAsia.html#bean%20sauce. The first one is Chinese brown bean sauce/paste aka tenmienjan, tenmenjan, or tenmenjiang - it's made from soy beans and sometimes is called Chinese miso type sauce or sweet noodle sauce. It is dark brown in color and has a wonderful dark miso type flavor. The next sauce is Chinese chili bean sauce aka toubanjan or doubanjiang - it has soy beans along with hot chilies and is red color. Don't use regular hot red chili sauce since it lacks the complexity of soy beans found in hot bean red chili sauce. The other two Chinese ingredients you will need for this recipe are fermented black beans (you can usually find these bagged and are ready to use or in bottles) and Szechuwan peppercorn. Szechuwan pepeprcorn is optional though Chef Chen does use it. Chef Chen uses regular tofu (not firm or silken) for his recipe. If you cannot find green garlic chives also known as nira in Japanese, I would use combination green onion and garlic. You want the taste of garlic as well as color of green onion for this dish. Another item that he uses is Japanese chili pepper known as ichimi tougarashi ie crushed or minced red pepper and if you cannot buy this item easily, I would substitute by mincing Chinese, Japanese, Thai, or Korean dry red pepper. This is a very, very spicy version of Mapo Tofu and if you like, cut down on chili pepper and chili oil if you like this recipe milder. However, this dish goes so well with plain steamed white rice that you can eat and eat while your nose is running. I plan to post another of Chef Chen's milder Mapo Tofu recipe using Hoisin sauce in the future.
Provided by Rinshinomori
Categories < 30 Mins
Time 25m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Cut tofu into 1 inch cubes. Heat enough water in a large saucepan, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and tofu pieces. Bring to boil and cook tofu on medium high heat for 8 to 10 minutes and remove from heat. Precooking tofu in water prevents tofu from breaking apart easily later. Set aside.
- While tofu is cooking, make cornstarch paste by mixing 1 T cornstarch and 1 T water. Set aside.
- Set wok on high heat for 1 minute until hot. Add 2 T vegetable oil and swirl the pan, then add ground pork, stirring to separate.
- When ground pork is browned, add Chinese brown bean sauce ie tenmenjan, tenmienjan, or tenmenjiang, Chinese chili bean sauce ie toubanjan or doubanjiang, fermented black beans, and ichimi tougarashi or minced dried red chili pepper. Continue to cook for 1 minute.
- Add chili oil, drained tofu pieces, chicken stock, garlic chives, soy sauce, and sake. Stir fry gently for 1-2 minutes.
- Add cornstarch paste to thicken and add sesame oil. Swirl gently and cook for another 3-4 minutes on medium high heat. Sprinkle Szechuan peppercorn on top.
- Serve with steamed white rice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 147, Fat 11.3, SaturatedFat 2.3, Cholesterol 11.1, Sodium 306.4, Carbohydrate 3.7, Fiber 0.2, Sugar 1, Protein 7.9
SPICY PORK TOFU
Steps:
- Sprinkle cabbage with the 1/2 tablespoon of salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Place the cabbage on a clean dish towel or cheese cloth and squeeze out any water. The dryer the cabbage, the better. In a hot wok that's been coated with canola oil add the ground pork. Stir-fry until nearly cooked through. Add ginger, garlic and salt; cook for another two minutes. Deglaze with soy sauce, add napa cabbage and sesame oil, continue cooking until the cabbage is wilted. Check seasoning.
- Plating: Spoon contents of wok over the tofu on a large serving platter, serve family style.
TOFU AND PORK STIR-FRY
Provided by Alex Guarnaschelli
Categories main-dish
Time 45m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Cook the tofu: Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet or wok over high heat. Add 3 tablespoons oil. When the oil begins to smoke, remove the skillet from the heat and quickly (and carefully!) add the tofu in a single layer. Return the skillet to high heat and cook, stirring from time to time, until the tofu is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully remove the tofu to a plate. Add the coriander seeds and toast for 15 seconds. Add the ground pork in a single layer, then sprinkle with salt and the red pepper flakes and brown over medium-high heat until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the pork to the tofu.
- Cook the vegetables: Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining tablespoon oil. Stir in the garlic and scallions and cook over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the snow peas and peppers and cook until they become tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, honey, ginger and lemon zest and juice. Simmer for an additional minute. Taste for seasoning.
- Finish: Add the pork and tofu back to the skillet and gently stir to reheat and combine, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and add the vinegar and additional soy sauce to taste.
SPICY SICHUAN TOFU (MAPO DOUFU)
Provided by Eileen Wen Mooney
Categories Wok Pork Stir-Fry Quick & Easy Dinner Meat Tofu Soy Sauce Gourmet Dairy Free Tree Nut Free
Yield Makes 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Grind peppercorns in grinder and set aside.
- Cut tofu into 3/4-inch cubes and pat dry.
- Heat wok over high heat until it begins to smoke, then pour oil down side and swirl to coat bottom and side. Stir-fry pork until no longer pink. Add bean sauce, black beans, and chile powder and stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in stock, soy sauce, sugar, tofu, and a pinch of salt. Simmer, gently stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, stir together cornstarch and water until smooth.
- Stir cornstarch mixture into stir-fry and simmer, gently stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Stir in scallions and simmer 1 minute. Serve sprinkled with Sichuan pepper.
- **Serve with:**perfect steamed rice
MA PO TOFU (BRAISED SPICY PORK WITH TOFU)
This spicy, ground pork and tofu recipe served over white rice really hits the spot for me after a long day. With just a few ingredients, and some quick prep you can have dinner on the table in about a half hour. This is cheaper and more satisfying than any takeout I've ordered the last 10 years. Unlike some recipes for ma-po tofu, I eliminate the need to marinate the pork, just braise it in the sauce mixture for 10 minutes and all the flavors permeate the tofu. You can also adjust the heat by reducing the amount of chili paste so that the kids will enjoy it too - and who doesn't want their kids to develop a love for something as healthy as tofu? I also slice the ginger into larger pieces so I can remove it later (I love the taste of ginger but not biting into it)Enjoy!!
Provided by mlao77
Categories One Dish Meal
Time 35m
Yield 1 cup servings, 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a wok, heat vegetable oil on medium high heat for 2 minutes. Have all your ingredients ready next to your cooking area as you will need them close at hand as cooking progresses.
- Add garlic and ginger to the wok and stir-fry for about 1 minute, be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add the ground pork to the wok and break up into large chunks. Let the pork sear and gently combine the garlic and ginger as you continue to break up the meat, abour 3-4 minutes. If desired, you may season the pork at this stage with salt and black pepper, but this is not necessary.
- For the sauce, combine the sugar, cooking wine, rice wine, sesame oil, soy sauce and chili paste. Add the sauce mixture to the wok. Gently combine and bring the wok to a simmer.
- Add green onions, tofu and 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Gently fold ingredients together, be careful not to break up the tofu (you want it to retain their cubed-shape).
- Cover wok with a lid and lower heat to low and braise pork and tofu for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid and raise heat to medium. Stir cornstarch into remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the wok and gently stir to thicken sauce, about 2 minutes. Remove the ginger now, if desired.
- Serve over white rice and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 514.3, Fat 32.7, SaturatedFat 10.3, Cholesterol 106.7, Sodium 541.2, Carbohydrate 10.6, Fiber 1.5, Sugar 4.5, Protein 39.5
CHINESE MICROWAVED TOFU WITH MINCED PORK
Easy microwaved tofu that is quick to make but brings delight to both the taste buds and the eyes.
Provided by ANNSU
Categories Meat and Poultry Pork Ground Pork Recipes
Time 30m
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a bowl, mix the ground pork with the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Marinate at least 10 minutes.
- Place the tofu in a microwave-safe dish. Place the pork over the tofu. Discard any remaining marinade. Top with green onion, carrots, and chile pepper. Cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Cut a small slit in the plastic wrap to vent steam.
- Cook 5 minutes on High in the microwave, or until vegetables are tender and pork is cooked to desired doneness.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 397.2 calories, Carbohydrate 9.8 g, Cholesterol 63.5 mg, Fat 26 g, Fiber 1.5 g, Protein 34.1 g, SaturatedFat 6.9 g, Sodium 218.4 mg, Sugar 3.4 g
Tips:
- Use firm or extra firm tofu. This will help the tofu hold its shape and not crumble when cooking.
- Press the tofu before cooking. This will remove excess water and help the tofu absorb more flavor.
- Marinate the tofu for at least 30 minutes. This will help the tofu absorb the flavors of the marinade.
- Use a nonstick skillet or pan. This will help prevent the tofu from sticking and breaking apart.
- Cook the tofu over medium heat. This will help the tofu cook evenly without burning.
- Flip the tofu gently. This will help prevent the tofu from breaking apart.
- Serve the tofu immediately or let it cool and store it in the refrigerator for later use.
Conclusion:
Ma Po Tofu with minced pork is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal. The combination of soft tofu, savory minced pork, and spicy sauce is sure to please everyone at the table. With a few simple tips, you can make this dish even more delicious and impressive. So next time you're looking for a quick and easy meal, give Ma Po Tofu with minced pork a try. You won't be disappointed!
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