July 9, 2009: Mapo Tofu: Cistron Update

Since making our start Mapo Tofu final week, a duad of knowledgeable too helpful readers bring helped us on our agency to finding the correct ingredients to perfect our dish. Michael has hunted a few of them downwardly inwards a bid to brand the best darn Mapo Tofu this weblog has e'er seen.

Will tipped us off that their Cantonese refer is Dao Si too linked to the Chinese characters for farther reference. Eatnik said, "Black fermented beans tin endure bought either moisture (ie pickled) or dry out (just salted). The moisture ones come upwardly inwards a jar/vac pack too are shit (although volition create inwards an emergency)."

More than a calendar week since his start Mapo Tofu hit, Michael considered this an emergency too bought the vac pack. The dry out ones come upwardly inwards a cardboard underground (the yellowish container pictured on the Douchi wikipedia page) too they audio similar they're worth chasing down. Eatnik promises the dry out beans "are the virtually awesome element too sense of savor kinda similar funky vegemite, which is lucky campaign they hold off remarkably similar large rodent shit." Yep, we've already been getting that vibe from the moisture ones!

Finally, there's the Szechuan peppercorns. Like us, Eatnik start bought about musty erstwhile ones from an Asian grocer. Then she had an epiphany: "I went to HuTong too tried their offal slices amongst sichuan peppercorns, too a mouthful of popping, zingy, lemongrassy numb spots told me that I should endeavour elsewhere for my supply." While I'd rather bypass the offal, this lively spice was something nosotros had to try! Though they're non quite upwardly to her start mind- too mouth-blowing sense at HuTong, Eatnik recommended Peter Watson's Szechwan Peppercorns for a milder hit. Michael dropped past times his Fitzroy store, got a modest sense of savor of that mouth-numbing goodness, too left amongst a 20g tin for many tofu nights to come.

Our minute Mapo Tofu was for certain dissimilar to, but equally to the lowest degree equally skillful as, our start try. We're looking frontward to refining our skills too ingredients further.