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Ma Po Tofu

SUBMITTED BY: LINJO PHOTO BY: Charlie

"This is a great Chinese recipe. I love this dish - you can control the spice by varying the cayenne. I hope you like it as much as I do."

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Read Reviews (36)

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PREP TIME	15 Min
COOK TIME	10 Min
READY IN	25 Min

SERVINGS

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Servings
USMETRIC

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

4 ounces ground pork
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed and mashed
1/2 tablespoon chili paste with garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 (14 ounce) package tofu, drained and cut into cubes
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with equal parts water

What to Drink?
	Riesling

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine ground pork, sherry and 1 teaspoon cornstarch; set aside.
In a separate small bowl, combine black beans, chile paste, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger; set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. If pork is lean, add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook pork until evenly browned. Stir in black bean mixture, tofu, and peas. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in dissolved cornstarch, and cook until thickened.

FOOTNOTE

This dish is best served with steamed white rice.

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REVIEWS

Reviewed on jan. 3, 2004 by JACKMONSTER

Full Review

The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 4.59 star rating.

JACKMONSTER
jan. 3, 2004

This recipe is excellent, and I make it often :-) For those who claim not to like tofu, I think this dish gives tofu to stand on its own, not just be a substitute for meat. If you're a vegtarian, I'd advise using slightly more tofu, adding more Asian vegetables, and scaling up the amount of sauce by 50%. You also might want to add 1 to 1-1/2 Tbsp of sesame oil, to replace the flavor the pork gives it. Here are some other comments: 1. As written, this recipe is quite spicy. For the fainter of heart, I would recommend starting with 1/2 tsp of cayenne. Less if you're really spice-phobic. 2. To make the texture more interesting, I put the tofu cubes on parchment on a baking sheet and put them under the broiler (second rack down) for about 10-15 minutes, so the outside gets crispy. You could also fry it for a similar effect, but the broiling approach is lower fat. 3. I always put in a teaspoon of sesame oil into the black bean mixture. It only adds 5g of fat total to the dish and rounds out the flavor a bit more. 4. I don't think the 1 Tbsp of corn starch is enough to thicken the gravy sufficiently. I usually end up using 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp. 5. For more different textures, adding some bamboo shoots or water chestnuts is a tasty alteration. If you add a lot more stuff, though, make sure you scale up the black bean sauce to coat everything sufficiently.

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36 users found this review helpful

This recipe is excellent, and I make it often :-) For those who claim not to like tofu, I... MORE

Reviewed on dec. 12, 2003 by zernike

My husband and I have traveled throughout Asia, and Ma Po Tofu is one of our favorites - we... MORE

Reviewed on aug. 27, 2003 by Kuldunia

This was great! I used beef instead of pork, like my local noodle-house does. I also added a... MORE

Reviewed on feb. 8, 2005 by FDSTRAMPHER

This is a great dish for those just coming into the tofu world! Thank you for sharing it! ... MORE

Reviewed on jul. 18, 2003 by LUX

I was looking for this receipe "FOR TOFU" that my husband could cook without gagging!!! & I... MORE

Reviewed on sep. 16, 2008 by tinac

This is a great recipe that I've made a few times now. My only complaint about the recipe is... MORE

Reviewed on jul. 18, 2003 by CHILICAT

This dish is simple to make and is full of flavor. Almost no fat and very little meat are... MORE

Reviewed on jan. 12, 2009 by AngieItaliano

I will definitely make this again. I added a few drops of sesame oil and 2 green onions as... MORE

Reviewed on dec. 28, 2006 by Lisapple

Made once with tofu and once with chicken thighs (cut in pieces). Very good both ways! MORE

Reviewed on mar. 29, 2006 by MBUTTLER

Good flavour but way too salty for me. Would definitely cut down on the soy sauce and/or... MORE

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Nutritional Information

Ma Po Tofu

Servings Per Recipe: 4

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 215

Total Fat: 11.5g
Cholesterol: 20mg
Sodium: 709mg
Total Carbs: 13.7g
Dietary Fiber: 2.3g
Protein: 15.8g

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Ma Po Tofu

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DIRECTIONS

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