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But seriously, I've been working on getting the taste right and having the right balance of spices (especially the Sichuan peppercorns) and I finally hit it just right last night. And it's so easy to make vegan, it tastes better with mushrooms instead of ground pork anyways.

  • supafuzz [comrade/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    mapo doufu is how I judge the quality of a Chinese restaurant

    having it on the menu at all is a good filter

    • GrumpigPoopBalls [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      2 years ago

      I don't have exact measurements for anything but the tofu and mushrooms but here is what I used last night!

      1 pound soft silken tofu, cubed

      1 pound mushrooms, diced up as finely as you can get

      3 cloves garlic, minced

      2 cups vegetable broth (you can use significantly less but it's winter in Alaska so I like soupy foods this time of year)

      1/2-1 inch ginger, minced (mine was a longer piece but it was a relatively thin piece)

      sichuan peppercorns (I put probably around 1/4 cup of whole peppercorns in my grinder)

      1 spoonful of black bean/garlic paste (something like this would be better but I forgot to buy it)

      1 spoonful of chili oil

      water+cornstarch mixture to thicken (just add as much as you feel like you need to thicken it)

      green onions to garnish

      To actually cook it I:

      saute garlic, ginger, mushrooms until the mushrooms are looking well cooked

      add the ground sichuan peppercorns and toast, 15-20 seconds

      add the bean paste and chili oil, mix well

      add the broth and bring to a boil

      mix in the cornstarch mixture and let it thicken

      add the tofu, lower the heat and just let it sit in there a while (i added the tofu about 10 min before my rice finished)

      Boom it's not perfect or authentic but it hit the spot and it's really good

  • SnackClip [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    It's better in a wok too, if you have a gas stove you take off the burner plate and put it straight on there. Light it with a match, don't burn your house down.

  • electerrific [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    No way, man. Mapo tofu is an inferior product all the way around and it's always a disappointment to see it on the menu and not mala tofu.

    Mala tofu or nothing. Fight me.