Mapo Tofu two ways
I found this recipe for Mapo Tofu and instantly wanted to try it. I've had it before, and loved the spicy red sauce. The recipe calls for chili bean paste and fermented black beans. The first time I made it, Wegmans neither, and tried to substitute with stuff I already had. Fermented beans are salty, so I used pancetta. I didn't have chili bean paste, so I used chili pepper paste. Wegmans didn't have soft tofu, either. We tried silken. Not the best idea. The result: a "meh" dinner that was kind of bland and not something I would try again.
Then, last weekend, palliddreamer and sweet_tea79 came to visit, and we took sweet_tea79 to Super H Mart, a giant Asian supermarket. I found fermented bean paste and chili bean paste, and decided to try it again. It was fabulous! The red sauce was spicy and flavorful, and the black bean paste added an earthy, salty tang to it. I used leeks instead of scallions, as the recipe suggested, and they worked quite well. I think the second version looks a lot better. I definitely recommend this recipe if you can get the fermented black beans and chili bean paste.
First attempt:
Second attempt, with steamed sweet red bean buns (yay Super H Mart!) and home made potstickers:
Then, last weekend, palliddreamer and sweet_tea79 came to visit, and we took sweet_tea79 to Super H Mart, a giant Asian supermarket. I found fermented bean paste and chili bean paste, and decided to try it again. It was fabulous! The red sauce was spicy and flavorful, and the black bean paste added an earthy, salty tang to it. I used leeks instead of scallions, as the recipe suggested, and they worked quite well. I think the second version looks a lot better. I definitely recommend this recipe if you can get the fermented black beans and chili bean paste.
First attempt:
Second attempt, with steamed sweet red bean buns (yay Super H Mart!) and home made potstickers: