Mabo Tofu Japanese Style

10Oct09
http://1tess.wordpress.com
mapo-tofu_8483
Chinese food is popular in Japan. The seasonings are adjusted  to Japanese tastes: sweeter and less spicy.  The Chinese use oyster sauce and lots of garlic to make sauces for fish and meats. The Japanese use only rice and soy products: sake, mirin, soy sauce, and just a hint of garlic. One of the most popular Chinese dishes in Japan is ebi chili (shrimp with chili sauce). In summer Hiyashi-chūka soba is a favorite. Come to think of it, ramen is Chinese noodles translated to Japanese tastes. The recipe (Stir-Fried Liver and Chinese Chives) I made in my last post is popular in Chinese-style restaurants, as are subuta (sweet and sour pork), yaki-soba (fried noodles), gyoza and shumai (meat dumplings), and Chahan (Japanese fried rice).Today’s recipe, Mabo Tofu is another Chinese transformed to Japanese dish. Tofu and ground pork are cooked in a spicy sauce to become more than the sum total of the parts! This recipe is composed from several recipes for Japanese-style mabo tofu. I haven’t tried Chinese mabo tofu, the this version was spicy enough for me! I’d say that mabo tofu is like American chili in that everyone has a favorite interpretation—there are no mabo tofu authorities standing by to determine if your recipe is authentic or not!

Mabo Tofu
a Chinese dish adapted to Japanese tastes
japanesemapotofu_8484from several sites online
serves 4

  • 1 block cotton tofu, about 1 lb
  • ½ lb ground pork

Seasonings:

  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
  • ½ negi or 4 or 5 green onions
  • white part only, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp tobanjan

Sauce:

    mapo-tofu_8474

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp sake
  • 3 tbsp miso
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp katakuriko/corn starch
    mixed with 1 Tablespoon water

For Serving:

  • 1 teaspoon sansho powder
  • ½ Tablespoon Japanese sesame oil
  • green onions, green part only, cut into rings
  • 4 cups steamed rice

Wrap tofu in a towel, add some weight (plate with a can of tomatoes or whatever), and let the tofu drain for about 30 minutes. Cut tofu into ½-inch cubes. Set aside. Some recipes call for boiling the tofu, or for stir-frying the cubes with sesame oil, but I opted for the easy way.

In a two cup measuring cup, combine water, sake, miso, and sugar. Stir until the sugar and miso dissolves. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok on low heat, add garlic, ginger, and onion. Stir fry for a few minutes. Add the tobanjan, give it a stir, the add the ground pork. Break up the chunks of meat until the color changes. Pour the sauce mixture into the wok and bring it up to a simmer. Add tofu cubes, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Mix the corstarch with the water and stir it into the wok. Stir gently, so as not to break the tofu cubes, until the sauce is thickened and glossy.

Serve in bowls on top of Japanese rice. Sprinkle a little shansho powder and sesame oil on each bow. Garnish with the onions.

mapo-tofu_8482

⇐ Previous Post Next Post ⇒
Stir-Fried Liver and Chinese Chives 2 Velveted Chicken and Cashews

Filed under: Asian Influenced Food, Grilling and Pan-Frying, Japanese Food, Pork, Stir-Frying, Tofu   |  10 Comments
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10 Responses to “Mabo Tofu Japanese Style”  

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  1. 1 Yaelian on October 10, 2009 said:

    This sounds good and is something I would like to make,but what is cotton tofu? I know only regular tofu, smoked tofu, silken tofu and flavoured tofu,but I have never heard of cotton tofu..

    Reply
    • 2 Tess on October 10, 2009 said:

      Cotton tofu is the regular tofu I buy. It’s firmer than silken tofu partly because the tofu is drained in cotton cloth. If you look closely you can sometimes see the weave imprinted on the tofu.

      If you are not eating meat, then use some sort of fried tofu like atsuage or namaage. You want a contrast in texture: smooth and soft / chunky and chewy.

      Reply
  2. 3 appelsiinipuu on October 11, 2009 said:

    Thanks Tess:-) We don’t have here those fried tofus;there are many tofu makers here but mostly it is just regular tofu. So I will use the regular tofu then.

    Reply
    • 4 Tess on October 11, 2009 said:

      You might try tempeh or seitan. I’m not sure which. What’s so interesting in this recipe is the two textures.

      Reply
  3. 5 Greg on October 11, 2009 said:

    Looks super tasty!
    Do you think that the pork can be changed out for chicken or beef, as I am not a huge pork fan.

    What do you use the spoon for in the last picture? :-)

    Reply
    • 6 Tess on October 11, 2009 said:

      I think (ground or minced) chicken or turkey would be great. Or beef—is not so much my favorite. I’m not a vegetarian, but tempah or seiten or atsuage would most likely work. Can’t advise which.

      As I said, what is interesting about this recipe is the contrast in textures.

      Beg pardon, Greg! ? Am I missing something about the spoon? The middle one has sort-of eyes at the end of the handle, but otherwise, I don’t understand.

      Reply
      • 7 Greg on October 11, 2009 said:

        I was just wondering if you use the spoon to eat the meal, as you already have chopsticks.

        Reply
        • 8 Tess on October 11, 2009 said:

          Oh right!

          I usually put out chopsticks, but when I made this before it was so much better to eat some parts of it with a spoon, some with chopsticks.

          Perhaps if you were at a restaurant you would get a ceramic Chinese spoon (the sort you get for eating soup) and chopsticks. Remember, I’m in the U.S. and don’t know what is authentic. This is home cooking so even though I try to be “authentic” I must be practical.

          Reply
  4. 9 Emi on October 12, 2009 said:

    Mabo Tofu is good with rice. I used to use instant sauce mix, but your recipe is very simple and I have everything at home. I should cook Mabo Tofu soon. Thank you for the tip :)

    Reply

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