麻婆豆腐 Spicy & Numbing Mapo Tofu

麻婆豆腐 Spicy & Numbing Mapo Tofu is all about creating a spice-packed sauce that is both spicy hot and numbing hot loaded with umami flavors from the fermented beans and then adding in the soft and delicate tofu to soak it all up — making the tofu the best part of the dish!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 onion (chopped) or 2-3 shallots or white part of the scallions (chopped)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 cup green scallions for garnish
• 1 teaspoon finely grounded ginger
• 8.5 ounces (250 grams) grounded beef and pork
• 5-8 mid-size mushroom shiitake or dried mushrooms soaked in water
• 1 pound (450 grams) silken tofu (soft)

For the sauce:

• 1-2 tablespoons Douban Sauce 豆板醤 (Fermented beans and chili - Spicy hot)
• 1/2 -1 tablespoon red chili pepper (Optional - Spicy hot)
• 1/2 -1 tablespoon grounded Sichuan peppercorns (Numbing hot)
• 3/4 tablespoon roughly cut Douchi (fermented black beans) 豆豉 (umami)
• 4 tablespoons Rice wine 米酒 (optional - add sweetness to balance the spiciness)
• 1 2/3 cups (400 ml) water or chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional - sweetness to balance the spiciness)
• salt, white pepper: to taste
• To thicken the sauce:
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch 片栗粉 mixed in 4 tablespoons of water
  • 1-2 tablespoon light soy sauce 醤油 or tianmianjiang 甜麺醤 (adjust to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil 胡麻油

Steps to make 麻婆豆腐 Spicy & Numbing Mapo Tofu:

1. Prepare, chop onion/shallots or scallions, mushrooms, garlic, grounded ginger and thinly sliced green onion (for garnish).
2. Boil or microwave tofu for two minutes to remove access water and dice when cool and set aside.
3. Prepare thickening sauce: mix cornstarch, soy sauce, and sesame oil with water, separately and aside.
4. Prepare meats by adding a pinch of salt and some sesame oil. Then mix and set aside.

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6.  Heat the pan with oil in medium heat and add in the Sichuan peppercorn and red chili pepper and stir for 10-20 seconds. Then add in the garlic, onion, and ginger. When the pan is hot again add in the beef /pork and saute at high temperature. Halfway through add in mushrooms and cook till well done.
7. Lower the heat to low-medium and add in douban sauce, douchi, salt, pepper, sugar, and rice wine. When the mixture thickens add in the water/chicken broth and bring to boil.
8. When the sauce starts to boil slowly add in the tofu. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tofu by carefully rotating the pan over the fire, want to make sure all the tofu pieces absorb the sauce.
9. Add half of the thickening sauce (step 3), and continue to simmer for 1 minute and then add in the rest, if the sauce gets thick quickly add 1-2 tablespoon of water.

10. Let the tofu and sauce continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes, and then lower the heat and adjust the taste by adding salt, and pepper or sugar if it too spicy. Transfer to a bowl and add green scallions for garnish.
11. Serve with rice!