Right now I'm using a ready-made packet from the grocery store but I'd love to make it from scratch. I don't have any Chinese cookbooks so figure someone here might have a recipe.
TIA,
Amy
Right now I'm using a ready-made packet from the grocery store but I'd love to make it from scratch. I don't have any Chinese cookbooks so figure someone here might have a recipe.
TIA,
Amy
Not quite, "麻婆豆腐" is its proper name in Sichuan, from whence it comes. It's pronounced Mapo doufu in Mandarin (more or less the same in Cantonese, and closely pronounced mabo doufu in Japanese). "Mafu tofu" is a common name for the dish that occurs outside of China, particularly in Chinese communities abroad. I'm afraid that I don't know whether it comes from a dialect, a mistaken hearing, or other.
I can't read Chinese and couldn't find a link for an English version, but thanks anyway.
I found and made a recipe that tasted very similar to the Mapo tofu dish I had at Da Ping Huo (private Sichuan kitchen).
For anyone who's interested it, see the link below.
I used ground pork instead of the ground beef used in that recipe (which I thought was strange - I thought it was always made with pork). I couldn't find the Sichuan peppercorns so didn't use them, but it still turned out spicy.
"The Best" Mapo Tofu Recipe Details | Recipe database | washingtonpost.com
If you were looking on an American site, no surprises that you found beef rather than pork. ;p
You can find Sichuan peppercorns at various places selling whole spices (I last found some at a Mong Kok shop that's now lcosed). It just takes a lot of looking as it's obviously not a preferred flavor here.