I work as a chef in the university cafeteria

Chapter 320 Mapo Tofu
Mapo tofu is probably the most widely spread dish of Sichuan cuisine. It can be seen everywhere in domestic restaurants, and is even famous in Japan, Europe and the United States.

Because of its wide spread, the cooking method and ingredients of Mapo Tofu have also undergone great changes according to local conditions, but no matter how it changes, it is still the undisputed "leader" in the cooking world.

Mapo Tofu may seem like a complicated process to make, but that’s not the case. Rather, it’s because it’s simple to make. There are a lot of people who know how to make it, but there are only a few people who can really do it well.

An authentic Mapo Tofu is characterized by spicy, spicy, fresh, fragrant, blanched, whole, tender and crispy, which fully demonstrates the spicy flavor of Sichuan cuisine.

In a relatively simple way, making mapo tofu with distinctive characteristics and full flavor not only requires careful attention to the ingredients used in the dish, but also poses a great challenge to the chef's own cooking skills.

Jiang Yu has been involved in cooking for such a long time and has cooked many famous dishes from various places. Naturally, he has also cooked many dishes with complicated craftsmanship. However, so far, he has never made Mapo Tofu, which is a Sichuan delicacy. A dish known as "the lover of the masses" in the world.

After carefully pondering the detailed preparation methods redeemed from the food system several times in his mind, Jiang Yu did not waste time. After processing the ingredients prepared in advance, he started to get busy.

To make an authentic mapo tofu, the choice of ingredients is very important.

Just like tofu, you must use brine tofu. Because it contains less water, its texture is a bit soft, but the bean flavor is rich. It is commonly known as "Old Tofu" and "Northern Tofu".

Some people who like tenderer tofu will choose gypsum tofu, which is much softer and tender than brine tofu, but has a lighter bean flavor because it contains more water. It is also known as "soft tofu" and "nan tofu" .

In addition to the strict requirements for the selection of the main ingredient tofu, the auxiliary minced meat is also very particular. Authentic Mapo tofu uses minced beef instead of minced pork.

In addition, authentic Mapo Tofu also has strict requirements for some main seasonings, such as watercress, chili noodles and Sichuan pepper noodles. Depending on where the seasonings are produced, the taste of the Mapo Tofu will be different.

After processing the ingredients, Jiang Yu directly heated the pan and heated the oil. Add the minced beef in the cold oil and stir-fry until the minced meat is loose.

After the beef is stir-fried and mature, add the chopped watercress and chili noodles, continue to stir-fry to produce red oil, then add minced garlic and stir-fry until the aroma is released.

Afterwards, Jiang Yu added an appropriate amount of hot water to the pot. After boiling, he poured the pre-processed tofu into the pot and simmered over low heat. Then he added light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, a little sugar, etc. for seasoning, and then added the previously mashed tofu. Sichuan peppercorns, stir-fry lightly.

Finally, the water starch is thickened.

This last step is also the key to whether Mapo Tofu can be done well.

When thickening ordinary dishes, it often only needs to be thickened once. This can ensure that the soup of the dish is rich and adheres to the surface of the ingredients, thereby achieving a glossy, smooth, tender and delicious flavor of the dish.

But Mapo Tofu is not like that.

Since tofu will "spit" water during the stewing process, and the more water is boiled, the more water will be added. Therefore, when cooking Mapo tofu, if you only thicken it once, the sauce will be quickly diluted by the water "spit" out of the tofu, and the sauce will be coated If the tofu is not cured, the taste will become thin and insufficient, and it will not be tender enough.

Therefore, the thickening step of Mapo Tofu often requires two to three times. Only in this way can the thickening sauce be evenly coated on the tofu, thereby achieving the effect of glossy, smooth and delicious texture of the dish.

After completing this step, sprinkle a handful of crisp green scallions to enhance the flavor, and the Mapo Tofu is ready.

After taking the pot and putting it on the plate, Jiang Yu immediately turned to look at the waiter standing outside the kitchen waiting to serve, and ordered:

"Let's serve the Mapo Tofu first. This dish is best when it's hot."

Upon hearing this, the waiter hurriedly brought the steaming and fragrant Mapo Tofu to the food delivery cart, turned around and walked quickly towards the private room.

As she walked, she lowered her head from time to time to look at the dish made by the boss himself.The white and tender tofu is wrapped in rich red soup and garnished with green scallions. Since it has just been cooked, the whole dish is steaming and the rich aroma spreads everywhere.

It was not that she had never eaten Mapo Tofu before, but when the boss made it like this, she was a little bit greedy just by smelling the spicy, spicy and green onion flavor, and her mouth was constantly secreting saliva.

If she hadn't remembered that she was a waiter, she might have been able to secretly take a few bites while no one was around.

Thinking of this, the little girl's fair face turned red instantly, as if she was ashamed that she had such a dirty thought...

She quickly took a deep breath, not daring to think any more, and quickly came to the door of the box, knocked gently, and then handed over the freshly baked Mapo Tofu.

Mapo Tofu is not the first hot dish to be served. In fact, almost all the hot dishes in the private room have been served.

Lotus Blood Duck, Jiangzhou Red Crispy Pork, White-Poured Bighead Carp Head, and other delicacies that were full of color, flavor, and flavor made everyone in the box glow with excitement. It only took a few minutes for each dish to be served. It will be snatched up by everyone.

The most painful time is waiting for the food to be served. Everyone wants to know what dish will be served next and how to grab it next so that they can eat one or two more bites.

As for whether the food tastes good or not, who cares about whether it is something you like to eat?
At this time, who can still doubt Jiang Yu's cooking skills?

There is no dish that Jiang Yu cooks that tastes bad. Even the dishes that I didn't like to eat before can still make me salivate.

As the saying goes, there is no unpalatable food in this world. The reason why it tastes unpalatable is because the cooks are not good enough.

Therefore, when the waiter pushed the food delivery cart through the door, Liu Xiaohu and other foodies who had been looking forward to it stretched their necks and looked hard:
"Yeah! It's Mapo Tofu! My favorite!"

"It's really Mapo Tofu! The tofu is white and tender, and the soup is bright red, rich and crystal clear. It makes you appetizing!"

"Well, this smell is numb and spicy. It's so fragrant! My mouth is almost watering!"

"..."

Under the gaze of all the foodies, who looked like they were about to eat someone, the waiter brought the steaming mapo tofu to the table with a smile:
"Ma Po Tofu, the boss said, this dish needs to be hot to be delicious!"

Before he finished speaking, he saw Liu Xiaohu, who had been motionless before, suddenly, with lightning speed, picked up the spoon and quickly stretched it towards the mapo tofu that had just been served.

"Hold the grass! You are heartless!"

"Xiaohu, stop it, you've eaten the most today!"

"Little thief, Hugh is rampant!"

"..."

The others had long been staring at this insidious "little thief". Seeing Liu Xiaohu being the first to take action, he gnashed his teeth and cursed, while he also hurriedly picked up the spoon and instantly joined the "battle group" .

The box instantly broke into a "melee"...

(End of this chapter)