Ingredients for Chinese Ma Po Tofu

Series Summary

Ma Po Tofu is a popular Chinese dish from the Szechuan (Sichuan) province. It is a combination of tofu (bean curd) and minced meat, usually beef, in a spicy bean-based sauce. True Mapo tofu is powerfully spicy with both conventional "heat" spiciness and the characteristic "mala" (numbing spiciness) flavor of Szechuan cuisine. The authentic form of the dish is increasingly easier to find outside China today, but usually in Szechuanese restaurants.

In this free video series, our expert Hiu Yau will show you how to approach the simple recipe for this authentic Chinese dish. From chopping vegetables to blanching and stir fry methods, Yau breaks down Ma Po Tofu cooking for anyone willing to learn. Can Chinese food be this easy? With Yau, it's as easy as slice, dice, and simmer!

Video Transcript

"Hello my name is Hui, on behalf of Expert Village I'm going to show several everyday Chinese dishes. The first ingredient for the ma po tofu would be around 3 to 4 ounces of ground beef. In this case I use the ground chuck because of it's fat content. If you are very healthy conscious you can use a leaner ground beef. Then I have around 7-8 ounces of soft tofu. Try not to use the silken version; they are a little bit to soft very hard to work with. For our vegetables we have 3 cloves of garlic, 3 slices of fresh ginger, and 1 green onion."