IT'S WET!

Ma Po Tofu is one of those dishes which are a constant. If you're trying out a new Chinese restaurant -- in the hinterlands of Palo Alto or Menlo Park, for instance -- the dish I would recommend is Ma Po Tofu. If they do that not so good, the chances are that they don't do anything else well either. Irrespective of whether they are Canto style, a bunch of Northerners, or even Cantonese pretending to be Hunanites because, really, they're just making a living and do not aspire to haute cuisine.

Besides, it's in the backwoods area. How many demanding Cantonese gourmands can there actually be out there?

One of the peculiarities of Chinese restaurants is that the further away from the urban proletariat you get, the better the ambiance. No, there is no equal lowering of standards, necessarily, because they do indeed want people to come back. But the prices will have gone up, and pretentious terms like "Mandarin", "Peking", "Palace", "Shanghai", "Hunan-Szechuan-Hakka", and so forth, will be flung around with gay abandon.

Their English and Mandarin abilities will also be better.
They might not even speak Cantonese at all.

But stellar ambiance, man!
People pay for that!

Still, if they cannot do Ma Po Tofu that's more than edible, their standards cannot be very high. Because it is a simple dish, and variable enough that even a cook from deepest Hoinaam Saang can make a signature version.


麻婆豆腐

Chunks of soft tofu in a medium-spicy sauce which is made with fermented broad bean paste (豆瓣酱), fermented black beans (豆豉), chili paste, chili oil, sesame oil, garlic, pinch of Szechuan pepper, and a splash of rice wine. Garnish with chopped chives or green onions. Meat is a frequent inclusion, ground or minced.

Hong Kong people make it milder, and add a little sugar to broaden the flavours. The Sichuanese, who invented it, often make it numbingly hot.
Versions exist with pickled brassica (榨菜 'ja choi'; "pressed vegetable") added for flavour, and American Chinese might include tomatoes.
Whatever the heresy of the kitchen, it can be very good.
Or not.


It's not a good choice for ordering on a first date, though. Unless you know the other person really well. What if she likes it immensely, and you were under-impressed?
Or vice versa, either gender.

A friend did that once, and while he thought the restaurant was crappy, the woman he was with loved it. She even boxed up the leftovers for later.
He never took her out again, because as he explained it: "What if I actually invited her over? What would I cook? She has such lousy taste!"

Um, yeah. I haven't dated anyone in years, since Noah landed the Ark in fact, so I know how you feel, dude. But I've had Ma Po Tofu several times since Savage Kitten and I split up. And, now that I think about it, Savage Kitten wasn't fond of ma Po Tofu, so maybe Sichuanese home cooking might not be a good basis for a relationship, even though it is comforting, warms you up on cold evenings, and can be quite delicious.


MA PO TOFU

Seethe smashed ginger and garlic in hot oil till fragrant, add a generous pinch of Szechuan pepper (花椒 'faa chiu'), followed by a generous spoonful or two of hot bean paste (辣豆瓣酱 'laat dau baan jeung'), chili paste, and a scant half to full teaspoon of sugar, splash of sherry or ricewine, and ground meat -- pork for preference, but beef also can. After stirring around a bit add some reduced stock with a little cornstarch mixed in. Also add a tablespoon of mashed re-moistened fermented black beans (豆豉 'dau si'), and chili oil if you have that handy. Cook till velvety, add a jigger of soy sauce, then the chunks of fresh tofu, and gently turn to coat and heat through.
Add a drizzle of sesame oil and chopped chives.

I usually dump it on top of noodles.
It's a quick and easy meal.
Perfect for Autumn.




==========================================================================
NOTE: Readers may contact me directly:
LETTER BOX.
All correspondence will be kept in confidence.
==========================================================================