Anatomy of a dish
THESAUCE
Doubanjiang– orbroadbeanpaste– is
combinedwithSichuanpeppercorns,fermented
blackbeans,chillioilandchilliflakestocreate
a powerfulheatandrich,umamiflavour.
Waterandcornflourarethenadded,creating
a thick,silkycoatingforthetofu.Theresultis
a saltysaucewitha powerfulhitofspice.THETOFU
Whilesomevariations
favourhardtofu,
traditionalmapo
featuresa soft,textured
beancurd.Theratio
ofmeattotofuvaries,
howeverTonyTan
recommendsfiveparts
beancurdtoonepart
meat.Thetofushould
playa neutralrole,
actingasa carrier
forotherflavours.This Sichuan classic is silky, spicy
and addictively mouth-numbing.Mapo tofu
I
f there’s a single dish that defines
the flavours of Sichuan, it’s this fiery
classic.Mapotofu,likemostSichuan
dishes,reliesona harmoniousbalance
of sweet,saltyandspicy.A blendofaromatic
Sichuanpeppercornsandfacingheaven
chilliesdeliveranintensecolourandtingling
or numbingsensation,whiletheaddition
of softtofuandfragrantherbsorcrunchy
greenshelpsoffsettheboldflavours.The
name mapotranslatesto“pock-markedold
woman”– a somewhatunflatteringtribute
to the womanwho,accordingtoChinese
legend,createdthedishduringtheQing
Dynasty.Heruniquecombinationofflavours
quicklybecamepopularinChengduand
beyondaswordofthisfierydelightspread.Fora gold-standardmapotofuheadtoDainty
SichuaninSydneyorMelbourne.Brisbane’s
Stanleyrestaurantservesa “Buddhist”version,
withzucchini,silkentofuandfermentedchilli.THEMEAT
Anessentialelement,meatis usedtobringboth
textureandrichnesstothesauce.Traditional
maporecipesfeaturemincedbeef,however,
porkis alsoa popularoption.In eithercase,the
minceis marinadedin soysauceandShaoxing
winetocreatea sweetandsaltyflavour.Find
oneGOURMET TRAVELLER 47PHOTOGRAPHY ALICIA TAYLOR. STYLING VIVEN WALSH.