Francesco’s Mapo Tofu Recipe
FROM FRANCESCO CORLEONE:
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Since you came from singapore, I bet you know recipe for mapo tofu, but, here's my version
1. tofu, buy 1 block from your local grocer, the firm one, or the xtra firm.
2. meat, buy pre-packed ground meat, I always use pork.
3. salt and pepper, to the liking
4. corn starch
5. sesame oil
6. fish sauce
7. frying oil
see, I think the main problem that makes college student doesn't like cooking is, buying something that you'll only use once. like corn starch and sesame oil, you know, those ingredients were foreign to me. But, I really think those 2 ingredients are worth to buy, because you can do a lot of stuff with it, including making egg drop soup, no?
to cook it basically, a little frying oil on the pan, add meat, just stir it around until some of them turns white, add fish sauce, stir some more, add sesame oil, stir some more, put the tofu in there. if you cut it first, that's fine, if you just messed it up in the pan, that's fine too. after tofu is destroyed, add some water. try to drown all the meat. and then, mix a little corn starch with water, until fully dissolved, pour it in. if it doesn't thicken, add a little more. just remember that the mapo tofu will get thicker after it cools a little. Now, taste it! if it's not salty enough, add some salt. add in some pepper, mix well and........eat with a lot of hot rice! yum
now, with a little twist, you can make a fancier dish!
Mabo ramen!
I ate this once in Irvine while I visited my cousin. It's basically a ramen, without soup but topped with mabo tofu. spicy mabo tofu that is.
so basically, it's the same recipe, but omit the sesame oil. and add red spicy powder. I really don't know what is supposedly used. But what I usually use is instant noodle, Indomie (I bet you know this since you grew up in Singapore), seasoning. They have a sachet of pepper in there. Just use the pepper for the mapo tofu, and the noodle for the ramen! and also a little trick for the ramen, before you put anything on your ramen bowl, put about a spoon or 3/4 of spoon of frying oil, add a squirt of fish sauce, and put the noodle, and mix! fish sauce has a very nice smell, at least for me, hehe.
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