One of the Chinese foods that I had tried in Western countries and actually found in China was mapo tofu (aka mabo tofu). While I was growing up, we often got a package mix to make the dish, just add tofu, minced pork and spring onions. Now, I make this recipe for mapo tofu mostly from scratch. In fact, one useful ingredient is the Laoganma Preserved black beans in chili oil, which adds spice and flavour. That may be cheating a little bit, but the rest of the recipe is from basic ingredients.
Ingredients
1 package of firm tofu
500g mince beef or pork (preferably lower fat like 5%)
3 generous Tbsp Laoganma Preserved black beans in chili oil (can be found at most Chinese markets)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine like Shaoxing
1 tsp minced ginger
100 ml water
3 bunches spring onions, sliced
Instructions
First, drain the tofu, then cut the tofu into small cubes. Slice the spring onions and set aside.
In a frying pan, cook the minced beef over medium heat, and then drain excess oil. Add the chili bean sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, ginger and water. Cook for one minute then add tofu cubes. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until heated through. Then top with the spring onions. Finally, serve hot with steamed white rice.
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