Mapo Tofu!

Thursday, January 16th

Recipe
>Ground pork/beef 1/4 lb
>Medium firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 lbs
>Green onion 3 whole chopped
>salt 1/4 tsp
>Chinese salted black beans 1 tsp
>Chili bean paste 1 tbsp
>Chicken broth 3 tbsp
>Cornstarch 1 tbsp
>Water 2 tbsp
>Light soy sauce 2 tbsp
>Fresh ground Szechuan pepper
>cooking oil 2-3 tbsp

Marinade
>Pork/beef
>Tapioca/corn starch
>Soy sauce 2 tbs

Preparation
>Marinate pork/beef for 20 minutes
>Blanch tofu in water for 2-3 minutes then drain
>Heat oil  in wok then stir fry until all pink is gone, add salt evenly then add salted black beans
>Mash beans until blended with meat, then add chili paste, stock, tofu, and green onions
>Lower heat then cook for 3-4 minutes after adding mixture of cornstarch, water, and soy sauce
>serve with fresh ground Szechuan peppers

Between my group being more active and my professor tweaking a few things the past two dishes have been much easier and much more enjoyable both in preparation and consumption. From start to finish this meal was a real treat. I was ecstatic with the results, even though this was my first time not handling the cooking, a role I take much pride in. The dish was the best so far both in taste and texture, the tofu was great. Before eating this dish I was still iffy about eating tofu. After this dish I am a fan of it. If I were to make this dish again I would use pork, we used beef out of respect to a group member's life choice. I feel the pork would support the tofu better than the beef did. Also I am a huge fan of pork. This dish is named after a woman who had trouble finding a husband, so she devised this dish to attract one. Legend has it that this woman had suitors from all over china lining up to claim her. Every family in china has their own version of the dish.