Mapo Tofu
1.
Cut the tofu into 1 cm square pieces. Mix dried chili and peppercorns and grind.
Tips: The tofu cubes should not be too big, not easy to taste, and not too small, because they are too crumbly to eat. A small square of 1-1.2cm is just right.
2.
Add appropriate amount of water to the iron pan, add 1 tablespoon of salt, pour in the tofu cubes, and boil the water over medium-low heat for about 1 minute. Before the water boils, pour out the tofu and drain the water for later use.
Tips: Boiling water is to remove the beany smell. When stirring, use the back of the spoon to push the tofu in the water, otherwise the edge of the spoon will easily cut the tofu. Serving before the water boils can make the tofu not boil and have a more tender texture.
3.
Pour a little oil in the pot, pour in the dried chili and peppercorns, stir up the aroma on low heat, and set aside.
Tip: This is a simple way to replace knife-edge chili in home production.
4.
Heat the wok, pour in rapeseed oil and butter, heat to melt, pour in beef cubes, stir-fry on medium-low heat until the color changes.
Tips: The meat fried in oil is tenderer and more fragrant.
5.
Seasoning: Pour the "knife-edge chili" made in the second step, minced ginger, tempeh, and Pixian bean paste, add appropriate amount of water, boil over high heat, then add salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar and stir well, then pour in tofu cubes. Turn on a low heat and cook the tofu for 5 minutes to taste.
6.
While cooking in the pot, adjust the water starch, the ratio of starch to water is about 1:5 (depending on the dishes made, the ratio of water to starch can also be adjusted appropriately).
7.
Pour the water starch along the side of the pot over medium-low heat, gently push the back of the spatula and stir evenly to thicken.
Tips:
Everyone knows that tofu "spits out water" during the cooking process, and it feels that the more water you boil, the more water you get. Therefore, when making Mapo tofu, if you only tick the gorgon once, the gorgon juice will be quickly diluted by the tofu spit. When you eat it in your mouth, the gorgon juice will not cover the tofu, and it feels that the taste is thin and not tender enough. So we have to hook 2-3 times. If you thicken it twice, you must thin it first and then thicken it; if you thicken it three times, follow the order of "1 thinner-2 thicker-3 slightly thinner".