MA-PO TOFU (BEAN-CURD SICHUAN STYLE)
1 min readServes 4.
Preparation & cooking time: 20–25mins.
Ma-Po was the wife of a Sichuan chef who worked in the provincial capital Chengdu in the 19th century. This universally popular dish has a number of variations – some restaurants list it as ‘Spicy bean-curd’ or just simply as ‘Sichuan bean-curd’.
2–3 cakes bean-curd
3 tablespoons seasoned oil
115g (4oz) beef, coarsely chopped
1 leek or 2–3 spring onions, cut into short sections
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon black bean sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon chilli bean sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
about 3–4 tablespoons stock
½ teaspoon ground Sichuan red peppercorns pinch of MSG (optional)
2 teaspoons thin cornflour paste
a few drops of sesame oil
Cut the bean-curd into 1cm (½”) square cubes; blanch in a pan of boiling water for 2–3 minutes to harden. Remove and drain.
Heat the oil in a preheated wok, stir-fry the beef for about 1 minute or until the colour changes, now add the leek or spring onions, garlic and black bean sauce, stir-fry for another minute, then add the bean-curd, soy sauce, chilli bean sauce and wine; blend well and add the stock, bring to the boil andbraise for another minute. Finally add the Sichuan pepper and MSG (if using), thicken the sauce with the cornflour paste and garnish with the sesame oil. Serve hot.
