I made ma po tofu today, with homemade seasoned chili oil.
It was amazing. I almost never make two plates of a dinner, but I seriously considered making a third of this.
Here's what I did:
Drain and cube a package of tofu. Let soak in a bowl with some cold water. Usually I press tofu and fry it, but this recipe really is better if you leave it soft.
Chili oil:
Roast four star anise pods and a cinnamon stick in a small sauce pan. De-seed (mostly) about 15 dried red chilis. After the spices have roasted about 2-3 minutes, pour in about 1/2 cup of oil into the pan, reduce to really low heat, and add the chilis and a teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorns. Cook for about 20 minutes then dilute it with another 1/4 cup of oil. (You don't want to burn the spices, but you do want to keep it hot enough long enough to actually infuse.)
It's useful for other recipes and it'll keep a long time, and this'll make extra.
Sauce and stuff:
Put enough mushrooms in a food processor to get 1 cup of minced mushrooms. I used oyster and regular white mushrooms, but I suspect that oyster and shitake and possibly a little portabello are the better way to go. You want something with deep flavor, because the chili oil will dominate the flavor.
Mince some garlic, ginger, and white onion.
Put 1/4 cup of the chili oil and a tablespoon of sesame oil in a hot pan. Add the minced stuff.
While that's frying, thaw or otherwise obtain a 1/2 cup of stock. I make mushroom stock, so that's what I used.
When the mushrooms have given up most of their liquid, add the stock and then a couple tablespoons of dried bean paste. There's a specific dried bean paste you're supposed to use for this, but I didn't have it or the correct fermented beans to make it. I just used roasted black bean paste (which is almost like dehydrated soy sauce). Mix well.
Drain the tofu and add it. Add some scallion greens (save the white end for a garnish at the end) and Sichuan peppercorns. Cook for a bit so the sauce can reduce a little, imprint on the tofu, and emulsify.
It's fine on its own, but I put it on rice.
By the way, some recipes have corn starch and crap in it. Don't do that. It really won't need it. This recipe is almost entirely about the chili oil, and there won't be much regular liquid left at the end to turn into goop. The stock is mostly just another layer of flavor.
Also, there is no substitute for Sichuan peppercorns. They used to be illegal in the states, so you'll still find restaurants that don't use them despite otherwise serving legit Sichuan food. They produce a cold, numbing sensation rather than being hot like normal peppercorns. Sort of like a cross between anise and a trip to the dentist, but actually good.
