First Recipe: Mapo Doufu

Mapo Doufu translates to "Pockmarked Old Woman’s Tofu." This dish’s roots supposedly go back centuries to the Chinese city of Chengdu in Szechuan, where an old, disfigured widow was ostracized to the outskirts of town. Because they couldn’t afford to stay in the town while they waited for their goods to sell, many poor farmers and traders also found themselves staying on the outskirts of town. By happy coincidence, the story goes, the farmers and traders eventually found the old woman and her amazing cooking. She soon became the pride of the city and her tofu is still the local favorite. Or something. All I know is this shit is delicious. Had it last night with fried rice.

If you've ever had Mapo Doufu, at a Chinese restaurant, this might be different than what you've eaten—it won’t resemble the nasty, thick, sweet-and-sour mapo doufu that you sometimes see at restaurants in the US. Instead, this recipe is fiery, nuanced, complex, and very delicious.

Note that Szechuan Peppercorns are not related to black peppercorns. And because they add a very important smoothing element to the dish, you cannot substitute anything for it. But fret not! The pepper—along with any of the other unique ingredients below—can be purchased at any Asian grocer.

Prep time: 1 cocktail (30 minutes)

3 tablespoons Szechuan chili oil

3 small dried hot red peppers (optional)

1 TBSP fermented black bean paste (no more!)

1 tsp Gochujang

1 TBSP minced garlic

1 TBSP ginger, grated with microplane

10 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped fairly finely

15 ounce block extra firm tofu cut into 1” cubes

1 teaspoon finely ground Sichuan peppercorns

1 TBSP soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp Chinese Black vinegar (Chinkiang vinegar)

2 tsp sugar

1 TBSP corn starch, dissolved in 3 TBSP cold water

½ cup slivered scallions, both white and green parts

Cooked rice or congee (Chinese rice porridge) for serving

 

Heat the chili oil over medium heat in a very large frying pan or large Dutch oven. When hot, add chili peppers, black bean paste, and Gochujang. Sauté, stirring, for ~1 minute. Then add garlic and gingers and sauté 1-2 more minutes, stirring. Next add mushrooms and stir well. Cook the mushrooms until the liquid they release has cooked off and the mushrooms turn a darker shade of brown, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

 

While mushrooms are cooking, place a medium saucepan that’s 2/3 full of water that is salted to about the level of seawater over high heat. When it reaches a boil, add the cubed tofu and immediately remove from heat. Let tofu steep in the salt water to absorb some saltiness for 15 minutes, then carefully drain it without breaking the tofu. 

 

Now back to the mushrooms: once they have cooked down and turned to a darker color of brown, add the ground Sichuan peppercorns and stir in for about a minute. Then add 1 ½ cups of water, soy sauce, sesame oil, both vinegars, and sugar. Bring back to a boil then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring. 

 

Add cornstarch mixture and stir for 2-3 more minutes until the sauce has thickened up. Now, you need to balance the flavor. It is likely that you will need to add more black vinegar, soy sauce (or salt), and/or sugar to get just the right balance. Be careful not to overdo anything though. You want a sauce that is well harmonized. 

 

Now very gently stir in the tofu, being careful not to break the cubes. Let simmer for another minute or two. Remove from heat, garnish with scallions and serve!