Knock-off Mapo Tofu
During this year's long 8-day Mid-Autumn and National Day holiday, I skipped the crowds and spent my time in the kitchen cooking up a few dishes and snacks. Today's imitation mapo tofu features Akuan's new corn and beef sauce in place of real beef, which has become too pricey to splurge on. Simple, easy, and full of flavor.
Ingredients
silken tofu
500 g
beech mushrooms
100 g
corn and beef sauce
to taste
julienned ginger
to taste
cornstarch
1 tsp
Instructions
1
Step 1
Cut the tofu into cubes, not too large, since tofu itself has little flavor and larger pieces don't absorb flavors well.
2
Step 2
Wash the beech mushrooms and tear them into small pieces.
3
Step 3
Add the beef sauce to taste. This one is a little spicy, so add according to your spice tolerance. I used 2 tablespoons; it turned out a bit spicy.
4
Step 4
Cut a little ginger into thin shreds. No other seasonings are needed because the sauce already has plenty of flavor.
5
Step 5
Bring a pot of water to a boil, blanch the beech mushrooms for about one minute, then lift them out and drain well. I blanched them because my mother doesn't enjoy the flavor of this mushroom, but if you don't mind, you can skip this step.
6
Step 6
Heat the wok and pour in slightly less oil than you would for a typical stir-fry—about 30–40 ml—since the sauce already contains oil. Add the ginger shreds first to bloom their aroma, then add the beef sauce and stir-fry for one minute.
7
Step 7
Add the beech mushrooms and stir-fry for one minute.
8
Step 8
Add the tofu and gently stir-fry for one to two minutes; this brings out the fragrance and makes it taste better.
9
Step 9
Pour in a bowl of water, enough to just cover the tofu.
10
Step 10
Once it comes back to a boil, taste the saltiness, season with salt to taste, stir to combine, cover the pot, and simmer for three to five minutes.
11
Step 11
Take half a bowl of water and stir in one teaspoon of cornstarch to make a slurry.
12
Step 12
Remove the lid; when the liquid has cooked down to about half, pour in the cornstarch slurry, gently toss a few times, and simmer for one to two minutes. Once the slurry turns translucent, turn off the heat.
13
Step 13
Transfer to a plate, sprinkle with some chopped scallions or cilantro, and serve.
