Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) is a tingling and spicy dish from Sichuan, a region known for fiery hot chili peppers and tingling Szechuan peppers. Normally made with minced pork, my variation today is made without meat.

Method

Make a simple red oil. Heat up 1 to 2 cups or two of oil. When hot, remove from heat and add a lot of dried chili flakes and whole Szechuan peppercorns. Toss in some other aromatics like scallions. Let it sizzle for 10 minutes or so. Strain out the bright red hot oil. You can grind the solids into a spice mix paste for future use.

Cut tofu into small cubes. Mince garlic and ginger (optional). Heat up oil in a pot and toss in these aromatics. When they are fragrant, add some bean sauce and stir. Then add soy sauces and a good amount of the red oil. Add tofu and stir. Pour in rice wine to cover the tofu two-thirds the way and stir.

Lower the heat to medium and let it simmer until the liquid reduces down in ten minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add scallions and more soy sauce toward the end if desired.

Notes

Sichuan cuisine uses a lot of red oil, which has a very complex flavor. The soul of the oil is the dried red chili pepper and Szechuan pepper, also called "prickly ash". The enormous amount of chilies makes the oil (and everything it touches) both chokingly hot and red. The Szechuan pepper numbs the tongue a little bit, so you get a tingling sensation. It also has its own subtle fragrance.

Making a true Sichuan red oil involves stir frying a lot of dried chili peppers and a lot more aromatics than Szechuan pepper and scallion. These include ginger slices, star anise, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon peel. This alone is worth its own discussion.

Mapo tofu is normally made with minced pork and soft tofu, which is a great combination. Here, I made it with firm tofu because I didn't have any minced pork in the fridge. It also holds itself really well in a little pot.

You'll notice that this dish looks greasy from the red oil. If it freaks you out, you can add some cornstarch mixed with cold water to thicken the sauce. 

One final note, Szechuan is an alternate spelling for Sichuan, from the old days. It's still widely used in America.