Lowfat Ma Po Tofu, Spring, and a Chinese Dosa?

March 15, 2009 at 11:02 pm · Filed under cats, Cooking, garden

I just had to show you this — a Chinese dosa??

It’s spring at last!!

Finally, the days are longer and the thermometer is ever so slowly creeping upward. All the extra sunshine is soaking into my bones to wake me from a long winter nap. Of course waking up from winter naps means taking out spring clothes, and as usual, too much winter makes too much me!

To that end, I picked up a package of Nasoya Light silken tofu, and thought about that melt-in-your-mouth Chinese dish, ma po tofu. I wanted to try it without the oil called for in most recipes. And while it can be made without pork and without too much oil, it can’t be made without Sichuan hot bean sauce (or paste), and for that I ventured out to my favorite Asian market. I’m usually in there buying Indian groceries — today it was a little trip to China.

chinese groceries, clockwise from top left ~ sichuan peppercorn (tepal), light and dark soy sauces, dried fungus, canned water chestnuts, canned sichuan hot bean paste, sesame oil (Japanese brand)

Next time I will invest in a jar of the hot bean paste rather than the can. I think the jars have more chili heat. Made with fermented soy or broad beans, this paste is *very* salty; between that and the dash of saltier-than-regular light soy sauce, the salt shaker is not necessary. Taste the bean paste before beginning to determine how much chili powder is needed. The dish should be quite spicy.

wood ears ~ before, top, and after soaking, right

This comes together so quickly it could easily be a weeknight meal. It’s mostly based on the recipe in my favorite Chinese cookbook: The Taste of China by Ken Hom.

Ma Po Tofu

1 tsp canola oil
2 TB each garlic and ginger, minced
1 1/2 TB sichuan hot bean paste
1 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp Chinese light soy sauce
2-3 dried black fungus (wood ear, tree ear), soaked, drained, and thinly sliced

1 block silken tofu, drained well and cut in cubes
(mine was Nasoya light, 16 oz)

2 TB cornstarch mixed with 2 TB water

1/4 c green onions, sliced
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp sichuan peppercorns, toasted and powdered

~~~~~

In a wok or large non-stick frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, saute a minute until fragrant, then add bean paste and chile powder.
Stir-fry 2 minutes, then add about 1/2 c water to prevent burning. Add wood ears and stir well.

Cover and simmer on med-low about 5 minutes, then gently add the tofu.
Use a wooden spoon to gently stir the mixture, then cover and simmer over low heat about 15 minutes.

When ready to serve, uncover and raise the heat to med-high.
When the mixture bubbles, add the cornstarch-water mixture and stir thoroughly.
Fold in the green onions, drizzle with the sesame oil, and give the mixture a final turn.

Remove from the heat to a serving bowl, and garnish with the ground sichuan pepper.

Serve hot over steamed rice. I had mine with plain steamed cauliflower as a substitute.

Tips: soak dried fungus/wood ears in hot water for about 15-20 minutes to reconstitute. Cut out the tough edge, then roll up and slice like a cookie-dough roll. If you’ve never cooked with these before, don’t be put off by the name. It has no real taste of its own, but provides a nice crunchy texture.

You can toast the sichuan peppercorns in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds. Then grind as you would any dry roasted spice. Don’t try to crush in a mortar and pestle as I did — you’ll be picking little sichuan peppercorn coverings out of your teeth!

spicy low-fat ma po tofu over cauliflower

another yummy version:

Pel’s Ma Po Doufu (vegan)

~~~

All I can think about is getting back into the garden. I have ordered tomato plants already(!!) to arrive mid-late May. I’ve rounded up all the seeds leftover from last year — many from dear ISG — plus the things I saved over the winter.
I have picked up two types of cucumber and three varieties of long beans to try, okra, and calaloo, not to mention seeds for mint, dill, oregano, and of course catnip! Pinkie loves catnip — perhaps Daisy will take to the fresh variety.

pinks and daisy being lego-kitties

daisy in early spring sunshine

What will you plant in your garden this spring?

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