Ingredients
400g beancurd (silken)
4 baby leeks or 2 leeks
30ml peanut oil
100g ground beef
11/2 Tbs Sichuan chilli bean paste (dou ban jiang)
(up to 1 Tb more if you want it more fiery)
1 Tb fermented black beans (or fermented black bean paste)
1 Tb Sichuan chilli paste
100ml chicken stock
1 tsp sugar
dash of light soya sauce
salt to taste
cornstarch or potato starch mixed with cold water (for thickening)
1/2 tsp roasted Sichuan pepper (hua jiao)
1 stalk spring onion
Method
1. Cut beancurd into 1-inch cubes and steep in salted hot water. Cut leek into thin slices. Cut spring onion into fine slivers.
2. Season wok, add peanut oil and heat over a high flame until smoking. Add minced beef and stir-fry until crispy and a little brown, but not yet dry.
3. Remove the minced beef and put on paper towel to absorb oil.
4. Turn the heat down to medium, add the chilli bean paste and stir-fry for about a minute, until the oil is a rich red colour. Add the fermented black beans and chilli paste and stir-fry for another 30 seconds until the mixture is fragrant and the oil is nice and red.
5. Add the drained beancurd and stock. Mix in gently by pushing the back of your ladle or wok scoop from the centre of the wok - do not stir or the beancurd will break up. Season with sugar, a dash of light soy sauce and salt to taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the beancurd has absorbed the flavours of the sauce.
6. Add the leek and half the minced beef and gently mix in. When the leek is just cooked, add the cornstarch (or potato starch) mixture in two or three stages, mixing well, until the sauce has thickened enough to cling glossily to the meat and beancurd.
7. Finally, pour everything into a deep bowl, scatter with the remaining ground beef, Sichuan pepper and fine slivers of spring onions.
PS: This recipe can be adapted for vegetarian use by omitting the ground beef and chicken stock.
Wine recommendations (only if the dish does not have too much chilli):
1. Perrin & Fils, Gigondas 'La Gille', Southern Rhone, France, 2004
2. Torres, Gran Sangre de Toro Reserva, Catalunya, Spain, 2001
3. Bodegas San Alejandro, 'Baltasar' Garnacha Vinas Viejas, Calatayud, Spain, 2004
Verdict: This is the first time I've tasted ma po dou fu made with beef instead of pork. I prefer this version as it has a smokier flavour. The silkiness of the beancurd conspires with the minced beef and peppercorns to lend the dish a fetching texture. A colleague ate this with lettuce and pronounced it real 'shiok'.
400g beancurd (silken)
4 baby leeks or 2 leeks
30ml peanut oil
100g ground beef
11/2 Tbs Sichuan chilli bean paste (dou ban jiang)
(up to 1 Tb more if you want it more fiery)
1 Tb fermented black beans (or fermented black bean paste)
1 Tb Sichuan chilli paste
100ml chicken stock
1 tsp sugar
dash of light soya sauce
salt to taste
cornstarch or potato starch mixed with cold water (for thickening)
1/2 tsp roasted Sichuan pepper (hua jiao)
1 stalk spring onion
Method
1. Cut beancurd into 1-inch cubes and steep in salted hot water. Cut leek into thin slices. Cut spring onion into fine slivers.
2. Season wok, add peanut oil and heat over a high flame until smoking. Add minced beef and stir-fry until crispy and a little brown, but not yet dry.
3. Remove the minced beef and put on paper towel to absorb oil.
4. Turn the heat down to medium, add the chilli bean paste and stir-fry for about a minute, until the oil is a rich red colour. Add the fermented black beans and chilli paste and stir-fry for another 30 seconds until the mixture is fragrant and the oil is nice and red.
5. Add the drained beancurd and stock. Mix in gently by pushing the back of your ladle or wok scoop from the centre of the wok - do not stir or the beancurd will break up. Season with sugar, a dash of light soy sauce and salt to taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the beancurd has absorbed the flavours of the sauce.
6. Add the leek and half the minced beef and gently mix in. When the leek is just cooked, add the cornstarch (or potato starch) mixture in two or three stages, mixing well, until the sauce has thickened enough to cling glossily to the meat and beancurd.
7. Finally, pour everything into a deep bowl, scatter with the remaining ground beef, Sichuan pepper and fine slivers of spring onions.
PS: This recipe can be adapted for vegetarian use by omitting the ground beef and chicken stock.
Wine recommendations (only if the dish does not have too much chilli):
1. Perrin & Fils, Gigondas 'La Gille', Southern Rhone, France, 2004
2. Torres, Gran Sangre de Toro Reserva, Catalunya, Spain, 2001
3. Bodegas San Alejandro, 'Baltasar' Garnacha Vinas Viejas, Calatayud, Spain, 2004
Verdict: This is the first time I've tasted ma po dou fu made with beef instead of pork. I prefer this version as it has a smokier flavour. The silkiness of the beancurd conspires with the minced beef and peppercorns to lend the dish a fetching texture. A colleague ate this with lettuce and pronounced it real 'shiok'.
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