Ma Po Tofu With Spinach Recipes

MA PO TOFU WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Start your rice cooker.
• Dice the pork into tiny cubes, stir in a splash of soy sauce, and set aside.
• Cut the silken tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and set aside. Be gentle with your tofu, the soft kind is delicate and comes apart easily.
• Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, and salt, and set aside.
• Heat up the vegetable oil in a wok, deep skillet, or dutch oven.
• when the oil is very hot, add the chili sauce and garlic. Stir for 30 seconds, just enough to wake up the flavors, but not enough to burn the garlic.
• add the diced pork and stir, cooking for another minute or so. (It will cook more later).
• Add the tofu and pour in the sauce. Stir once gently, being careful not to break up the tofu.
• Bring the sauce up to a boil and braise uncovered for 5 minutes or so. (How long you want to braise it depends on how saucy you want it to be--the longer it boils, the more the liquid will reduce.).
• Dice the green onion, white and green parts together.
• After 5+ minutes, the tofu will take on a nice reddish brown color from the sauce. At this point, mix cornstarch and water to make about a tablespoon of goopy paste, and stir into the boiling sauce. Throw about 4 handfuls of baby spinach onto the top and cover, cooking for another 2 or 3 minutes.
• When your spinach is wilted and the sauce is "clingy", gently stir in the green onion and 1/2 tsp of sesame oil.
• Serve on top of lots of steamed white rice.

SPINACH, TOFU AND SESAME STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet or wok, and add the tofu. Stir-fry until the tofu is lightly colored, three to five minutes, and add the garlic, ginger and chili flakes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about one minute, and add soy sauce to taste. Add the spinach and stir-fry until the spinach wilts, about one minute. Stir in the sesame seeds, and add more soy sauce to taste. Remove from the heat.
• Using tongs, transfer the spinach and tofu mixture to a serving bowl, leaving the liquid behind in the pan or wok. Drizzle with the sesame oil, and add more soy sauce as desired. Serve with rice or other grains, or noodles. You may also use it as a filling for whole wheat pita bread.

MA PO TOFU ON RICE

Steps:

• Cut tofu into 4 slices. Place tofu between 2 paper towels. Let stand until paper towels have absorbed much of the liquid, about 10 minutes. Drain and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Whisk chicken broth, chile-garlic sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, and black bean sauce together in a bowl.
• Heat a wok or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pork; cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring constantly, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer sauce until thickened, about 2 minutes.
• Toss cubed tofu into the sauce; simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in green onions. Spoon ma po tofu over hot rice. Season with black pepper.

MA-PO TOFU (SIMMERED TOFU WITH GROUND PORK)

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.

MAPO TOFU

Steps:

• Prepare the tofu: Cut the tofu into 3/4-inch cubes and put into a bowl. Bring a kettle of water to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and when the boiling subsides, pour hot water over the tofu to cover. Set aside for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large (14-inch) wok or (12-inch) skillet over medium heat, toast the peppercorns for 2 to 3 minutes, until super fragrant and slightly darkened. (A wisp of smoke is normal.) Let cool briefly, then pound with a mortar and pestle, or pulse in a spice grinder.
• Set a strainer over a measuring cup, then add the tofu to drain; reserve 1 1/2 cups of the soaking water, discarding the rest. Set the tofu and reserved soaking water near the stove with the peppercorns and other prepped ingredients for swift cooking.
• Reheat the wok or skillet over high. When hot - you can flick water in and it should sizzle and evaporate within seconds - swirl in the oil to evenly coat, then add the meat. Stir and mash into cooked and crumbly pieces, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add 2 1/2 tablespoons doubanjiang, the douchi (if using), ginger and red-pepper flakes (if using). Cook about 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly, until things are vivid reddish brown. Add the soy sauce and sugar, stir to combine, then add the tofu. Gently stir or shake the pan to combine the ingredients without breaking up the tofu much.
• Add the reserved 1 1/2 cups soaking water, bring to a vigorous simmer, and cook for about 3 minutes, agitating the pan occasionally, to let the tofu absorb the flavors of the sauce.
• Slightly lower the heat and taste the sauce. If needed, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of doubanjiang for heat, a pinch of salt for savoriness, or a sprinkle of sugar to tame heat.
• Add the scallions and stir to combine. Stir in the cornstarch slurry, then stir in enough to the mapo tofu to thicken to a soupy rather than a gravy-like finish. Sprinkle in the ground peppercorns, give the mixture one last stir to incorporate, then transfer to a shallow bowl. Serve immediately with lots of hot rice.

MAPO TOFU

Steps:

• Get all the ingredients ready before you start cooking and set them out in bowls. Drain the tofu and cut it into 1.5cm cubes. Put it in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Leave this while you get on with everything else.
• Heat a wok and pour in the groundnut oil. Get this really hot and fry the pork until it's crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon but leave the oil behind.
• Add the bean paste and cook, stirring for a few mins until fragrant, then add the black beans, ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring, for a min or so, then add the stock and let it bubble away.
• Stir the cornflour and water into the mixture in the wok, drain the tofu and stir it into the sauce. Tip in the spring onions and the mince.
• Add the chilli oil, if using, and sprinkle over the Sichuan peppercorns. The sauce shouldn't need seasoning with salt, as many of the ingredients are salty already. Serve with boiled white rice.

MA PO TOFU WITH TEMPEH

Steps:

• Mix marinade ingredients. Simmer tempeh in marinade for about 20 minutes.
• Cut the tofu (bean curd) into 1/2 inch (1 cm) square cubes, and blanch (drop into boiling water) for 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from boiling water and drain.
• Chop the leek or green onions into short lengths.
• Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the marinated tempeh.
• Stir-fry tempeh until the color darkens. Add salt and stir. Add the salted black beans. Mash the beans with a cooking ladle until they blend in well with the tempeh. Add the chili paste, then the stock, tofu, and leek or green onions.
• Turn down the heat. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes.
• While cooking, mix cornstarch, water, and soy sauce together. Add to wok and stir gently. Serve with freshly ground Szechuan pepper.