How to make Mapo Tofu authentic? Chef: You must learn to thicken the sauce a second time, otherwise the tofu will not taste good

Speaking of Mapo Tofu, I believe everyone is familiar with it. It is a famous Sichuan dish and is also recognized as a "magic dish for rice". It is spicy, fragrant and especially delicious. Compared with other Sichuan dishes, Mapo Tofu is not easy to make. Because tofu itself has no flavor, cooking tofu to produce a strong and fragrant flavor naturally requires a certain professional level.

Many people ask me how to make delicious and authentic Mapo Tofu. I think the second thickening step is very important. Many professional chefs thicken mapo tofu at least twice, and some even thicken it three times to make delicious and authentic mapo tofu. Then why do you need to thicken the mapo tofu twice? How to do it specifically? Let's look down together. How to make Mapo Tofu authentic? Chef: You need to learn to thicken it twice, otherwise the tofu will not taste good.

Ingredients: tofu, salt, minced beef, Pixian bean paste, black bean paste, minced ginger and garlic, chili powder, soy sauce, cooking wine, green garlic sprouts, water starch.

1. First, we prepare a piece of brine tofu. Traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu is made with brine tofu. If you like tender tofu, you can choose gypsum tofu, but do not choose the particularly tender kind. , cannot withstand stewing and easily breaks. We cut the tofu into small cubes and blanch it in a pot of boiling water. When blanching, remember to add a small spoonful of salt and cook for 2 minutes. Remove and drain the water and set aside. The purpose of this step is to remove the beany smell, add flavor to the tofu in advance, and improve the toughness of the tofu so that it will not break easily during cooking.

2. Then we cut some minced beef, heat the oil in a pan, add the beef and stir-fry until fragrant, then take out the fried minced beef and set aside; leave the bottom oil in the pan and add a spoonful of Pi Saute the county bean paste and minced ginger and garlic until fragrant. After frying the red oil, add finely chopped tempeh and chili powder. After sauteing until fragrant, add an appropriate amount of water, soy sauce, salt and cooking wine.

3. After the water boils, add the tofu and simmer over medium heat. During the simmering process, you can shake the pot lightly or use the back of a spoon to gently push the tofu. Be gentle to avoid shoveling the tofu. Crush it, and then comes the very critical step - thickening. When the water is boiled until only half of the tofu is submerged, add green garlic sprouts and fried minced beef, then pour in half of the water starch, then boil the water again and add the rest. Add half of the water starch to thicken the soup. Dish it out, sprinkle with some peppercorns and enjoy.

Tips

When making Mapo tofu, hotel chefs need to thicken the sauce at least twice, or even three times. This is because when the tofu is thickened for the first time, the tofu will release water. The second thickening can make the seasoning adhere to the tofu and make the tofu taste better. Therefore, when making Mapo Tofu, you must thicken it more than twice, otherwise it will not taste good. Also, the water starch here should not be too thin, but should be thick and thick. The ratio of starch to water should be 1:1.5.