Ma Po Tofu

a shot of our yummy ma po tofu

This dish was introduced to me by lovely Piaomu during my undergraduate days. She whipped it up so quickly that I couldn't tell what was going on, but I knew the result was delicious! Spicy and flavorful with the textures of the meat and tofu contrasting each other. Fragrant with ginger and garlic mmm! I was grateful that she later taught me how to make it.  Thanks to dear Piaomu, I can now share this with you!

You will need:

• block of firm tofu
• ground meat (maybe a pound pound, depending on how meaty you like it!) (you can use ground beef, pork, or turkey)
• ginger root (the size of a few fingers)
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic
• green onions
• spicy bean paste
• soy sauce

Wash and cut your ginger root into chunks. Mince the garlic. Wash the green onions and then slice.  Also, cut your tofu into small cubes. Usually, I slice the tofu into about 24 cubes.

Heat some oil in a large frying pan on medium-high, then add your ginger, garlic, and the white part of the green onions.  Enjoy the delicious aromas wafting out of the pan! After maybe 30 seconds of frying, add the meat.  Sprinkle on soy sauce (2 or 3 table spoons) and barely cook this.  Remove from the frying pan (place in a bowl or something).

Add more oil to the pan and scoop in a generous amount of bean paste if you are adventurous. The more you add, the spicier the tofu will be! I usually add 3 or 4 table spoons.  Fry this for 20 seconds, making sure that it does not burn. Then, add the gingery, garlicky,  oniony meat back in and stir fry for another 30 seconds. Then, add your tofu and about 1/3 cup water, then gently stir.  You may sprinkle on some salt, depending on the level of saltiness you enjoy.

Place a lid on the tofu so that it does not splatter everywhere, and turn the heat to low or medium-low.  Let this simmer for about 10 minutes with the lid slightly ajar.

Finally, take the lid off and taste your ma po tofu. Yummy!  Serve over rice, and garnish with the remaining green onions. Bee-you-tea-full!