Ma Po Dofu

I'm not going to post a recipe for this one because a) its from a cookbook and b) I forgot to write it down and I've since returned the book to the library. But anyway, this is Ma Po Dofu from Bryanna Clark Grogan's 20 Minutes to Dinner: Quick, Low-Fat, Low-Calorie, Vegetarian Meals. Ma Po Dofu (Mapoo Tofu, whatever yur local place calls it) is one of my favorite Chinese dishes. It is traditionally served with pork (tvp crumbles take that role here) and firm/extra firm silken tofu with lots of "brown" sauce for a delightfully slimy texture. Yeah, slimy...yummm, slimy.... If you are on a low-sodium diet, this is not for you, sorry. Tons of hoisin, soy sauce and chili paste. I made it with a LOT less soy sauce than she called for (I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos and only about 1/3 the amount) and I still found it a bit salty, but E2L has caused my tastebuds to be extra sensitive to salt.

Changes I will make next time I make this recipe: less cornstarch (it ended up far too gelatinous even with only 2/3 what she called for), and PEAS! Most places I've had Mapo tofu has served it with green peas mixed in and I would have done that but, alas, we were out. But overall, this recipe replicated the traditional dish quite well. The whole cookbook is really quite awesome, I highly recommend it. There is this cheez sauce recipe...but I digress.