Recipes Reviews and Gadgets

My friend and co-worker Lisa, from Beijing, sent me this recipe. It is called Mapo Tofu and roughly translated it means “pockmarked grandmother bean curd,” named for the old woman who supposedly invented the dish. It is served in many restaurants in China.

The recipe is written in both English and Traditional Chinese. Which one can you read? This is a good way to learn your Chinese!

 Lisa says please try it at home she is sure you will enjoy it!

 Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound ground pork
• 1 pound regular tofu (medium firmness)
• 1 leek or 3 green onions
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Chinese salted black beans (fermented black beans, also called Chinese black beans), or to taste
• chili powder
• 3 Tbsp stock (chicken broth)
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• Freshly ground Szechuan pepper
• 2 - 3 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

Directions:

Cut the tofu (bean curd) into 1/2 inch (1 cm) square cubes, and blanch (drop into boiling water) for 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from boiling water and drain. Chop leek or green onions into short lengths. Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the ground pork. Stir-fry pork until the color darkens. Add salt and the salted black beans. Mash the beans with a cooking ladle until they blend in well with the meat. Add the chili powder, leek or green onions, then the stock and bean curd. Turn down the heat. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes. While cooking, mix cornstarch, water, and soy sauce together. Add to wok and stir gently. Serve with freshly ground Szechuan pepper. 

麻婆豆腐

这是一道川菜名肴。直译的话，“麻婆豆腐”是“脸上长满麻子的妇人做的豆腐”，据说是这个妇人发明的这个菜，所以以她来命名。

配料

猪肉末、嫩豆腐、葱或洋葱、精盐、豆豉、辣椒粉、原汤（鸡汤）、玉米淀粉、水、生抽、新鲜的四川辣椒、花生油

做法

先将嫩豆腐切成一厘米左右的方块，用滚水煮二到三分钟，以去除石膏味，沥干水分。

把葱或洋葱切碎。起锅放油，油热以后把猪肉末放到锅里煸炒，直到肉的颜色变深。放盐和豆豉和肉一起炒，再放辣椒粉、葱或着洋葱，炒到入味，再放豆腐和鸡汤，用小火焖三到四分钟。把玉米淀粉、水和生抽调到一起，放到锅里，轻轻翻炒一下。最后配上新鲜的辣椒一起食用。

Today is Lantern Festival in China. It is celebrated the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar year of the Chinese calendar. This day officially ends the Chinese New Year which began on January 26. Children will carry paper lanterns in the evenings temples and solve riddles on these lanterns. As a tutor of Chinese students I have heard a great deal about Chinese New Year, Lantern Festival and Yuan Xiao. I thought I would look up the recipe for these Chinese delicacies.

Dumplings are a very popular food during Chinese New Year. Yuan Xiao is a sweet dumpling made with very few ingredients, and are eaten every Chinese New Year.  Some families make them, and others buy them. I found this recipe on About.com

Chinese dumplings are a popular treat during the Chinese New Year season. Sticky rice (glutinous rice) flour and black sesame powder are available at Asian markets. If you can’t find the black sesame powder, just grind black sesame seeds in a food processor.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups (500 g) sticky rice flour
• 7oz. (200 g) butter
• 7 oz (200 g) black sesame powder
• 8 oz (250 g) sugar
• 1 tsp wine
• Water, as needed*

Preparation:

Mix the butter with sesame powder, sugar, and wine. (You need to heat the mixture a little bit). Make into small balls, using approximately 1 level teaspoon each and rolling into small balls with your hands.

Place the glutinous rice flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the water, a small amount at a time, working and shaping the dough until it has a texture similar to playdough - not too soft but smooth and easy to manipulate. (Note: Glutinous rice flour can be a bit tricky to work with - at first it looks too dry and the next thing you know the dough is sticking to your hands because you’ve added too much water. If that happens, add a bit more glutinous rice flour. On the other hand, if the dough is too dry, add more water, a small amount at a time).
Pinch off a piece of dough approximately the size of a golf ball. Roll the dough into a ball. Use your thumb to make a deep indentation in the dough, place a sesame ball into the hole and close it up. It is important to make sure the sesame ball is completely covered with the dough. Continue with the remainder of the dough.

Cook the dumplings in boiled water. Make sure to keep stirring in one direction while cooking. When they float on the water, continue to boil for about one minute using less heat. *The amount of water needed can vary quite a bit depending on the the humidity level where you live and the age of the flour. This recipe is reprinted with permission of Jun Shan, former About.com Guide to Chinese Culture. The recipe directions have been revised by Rhonda Parkinson.