🏆 This recipe is dedicated to Sparkles - winner of Week 7 Chinese Vocabulary Challenge! From 零 to 27 points in one week. 你太厉害了 (ni tai li hai le) - you're amazing! Enjoy your prize. 素食朋友万岁!

麻婆豆腐! If you can make this dish well, you can cook anything. Okay maybe that's not actually a saying but it should be. This dish has the perfect balance of 麻 (ma - numbing) and 辣 (la - spicy). And good news - very easy to make vegetarian without losing any soul.

The secret is not the meat. The secret is 豆瓣酱 (doubanjiang - fermented chili bean paste) and 花椒 (Sichuan peppercorns). Get those right, and the tofu does the rest.

You want to learn? Come cook with me sometime. 一起做饭 (yi qi zuo fan) - let's cook together!

Ingredients 材料

  • 400g soft tofu, cut into 2cm cubes (don't use firm, the texture is wrong)
  • 2 tbsp 豆瓣酱 doubanjiang (chili bean paste - this is the soul!)
  • 1 tbsp fermented black beans 豆豉, rinse and chop
  • 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns 花椒, toast and grind
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2cm ginger, minced
  • 2 spring onions, white and green parts separate
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 200ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water mixed
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • Steamed rice - 必须的 (bi xu de - mandatory!)

Steps 步骤

  1. Prepare tofu. Boil salted water gently. Slide tofu in, let it sit for 2 minutes. This makes them firmer and seasons the inside. Drain carefully - tofu is delicate!
    为什么 (wei shen me - why): The hot water removes excess moisture and the salt penetrates inside. This prevents the tofu from falling apart AND adds flavor throughout, not just on surface.
  2. Build the base. Heat oil in wok, medium heat. Add doubanjiang, stir about one minute until the oil turns red and smells amazing. Add black beans, garlic, ginger, spring onion whites. 30 seconds more.
    为什么: Frying doubanjiang in oil "blooms" the chili - releases the fat-soluble flavor compounds. The red oil is the sign it's working. This is 炒香 (chao xiang) - stir-frying until fragrant.
  3. Add liquid. Pour vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar. Bring to simmer.
    为什么 sugar: Balances the salt and fermented flavors. Not for sweetness - for harmony. 平衡 (ping heng) - balance is everything in Chinese cooking.
  4. Add tofu. Slide tofu in gently. Here is important: 不要搅 (bu yao jiao) - don't stir! Just push the wok to swirl everything. Simmer 5 minutes.
    为什么 no stirring: Spatula breaks soft tofu. Swirling moves the sauce around while tofu stays intact. 伤心豆腐 (shang xin dou fu) - sad broken tofu - is the enemy!
  5. Thicken. Drizzle cornstarch slurry while swirling. Let it thicken one more minute.
    为什么 cornstarch: Creates the glossy sauce that clings to tofu. Without it, sauce stays watery and slides off. The shine is called 勾芡 (gou qian).
  6. Finish. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle lots of ground 花椒 and spring onion greens. Serve over rice!
    为什么 花椒 at the end: Heat destroys the numbing compound. Fresh ground peppercorns on top = maximum 麻 (ma) tingle on your lips!
很重要 - never stir tofu with spatula directly. Swirl the wok instead. Broken tofu is 伤心豆腐 (shang xin dou fu) - sad tofu. Nobody wants sad tofu.

Shifu's rating: 3/5 paws. He sniffed with interest but still chose his kibble. 这已经是进步了 (zhe yi jing shi jin bu le) - this is already progress!