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Ma Po Tofu

SUBMITTED BY: LINJO

"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."
PREP TIME  15 Min
COOK TIME  10 Min
READY IN  25 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 4 servings
    
About  scaling  and  conversions

INGREDIENTS

  • 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

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a small bowl, combine ground pork, sherry and 1 teaspoon cornstarch; set aside.
  2. In a separate small bowl, combine black beans, chile paste, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger; set aside.
  3. 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.

This dish is best served with steamed white rice.

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The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jan. 3, 2004 by JACKMONSTER
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.

28 users found this review helpful
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Dec. 12, 2003 by ASTAARA
My husband and I have traveled throughout Asia, and Ma Po Tofu is one of our favorites - we have ordered it wherever available. THIS recipe is by far the best Ma Po Tofu we have ever eaten! I am amazed and absolutely thrilled to have found it. Thank you Linda! I have used a couple of tiny variations due to supplies on hand: added two thinly sliced green onions, used "hot" chili garlic sauce and 1/2 tsp pepper while leaving out the cayenne, used black bean garlic sauce without rinsing (because it is a sauce), and substituted extra-lean ground turkey for the pork. My husband said it tasted exactly like pork, which he loves. Oh, and I added a little more chicken broth as it cooked down a bit. Delicious!

20 users found this review helpful
The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
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 finely chopped half-onion, and added a bit of white pepper, and a dab of sesame oil. I probably used a whole thumbs-length of fresh ginger, finely chopped. I served it over rice, with broccoli on the side. I'd never sliced soft tofu before - it's so easy! two cuts horizontally, then slice as on a grid. Very nice texture - creamy and soft. I tried not to stir the mixture too much as it heated, so some of the tofu would retain its shape.

7 users found this review helpful


 
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NUTRITION INFORMATION

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

VIEW DETAILED NUTRITION

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