Monday, May 04, 2009

In the Kitchen: Making Mapo Tofu



I’m back in front of the camera with another food demo/video. Sorry for the lack of videos lately, but I’ve had a hard time thinking up things to demonstrate that can be both educational and fast to do within the 10-minute YouTube limit on videos.

But I had a jar of kim chee in the refrigerator recently and that made me think of one of my favorite dishes that I do make quite often—partly because it’s so easy and partly because I love eating it.

I guess my Korean-style Mapo Tofu could be considered my signature dish. I’ve used this dish as my demo when I first submitted an application for “The Next Food Network Star” a few years back (still waiting for that call). It’s really easy to make, which is why I make it often during the weeknights for dinner. There are only three main ingredients (ground meat, tofu, and kim chee) and you can make it in less than 10 minutes.

It’s so easy that I thought I’d prove it to you by creating this video that shows all the simple steps. The actual recipe can be found in my original post here. Over the years, I’ve found that I’ve used the silken or soft tofu more often than the firm (medium). The soft tofu totally makes this a comfort food dish. Enjoy!

7 comments:

SteamyKitchen said...

You are SO natural & awesome in videos! I wanna see more!

Single Guy Ben said...

Thanks SteamyK! I'll make more just for you! ;-)

Brassai51 said...

Yum! Looks good to me. I wanna try it.

foodhoe said...

dang, my work blocks youtube, will have to catch it later. I love the texture of soft tofu too but it sure ends up looking like a pile of hurl... the squares are much more visually appealing

Carolyn Jung said...

What?! The "Next Food Network Star'' folks never called you? They do not know what they are missing. Especially since that network sorely needs more Asian chefs on it.

Jenster said...

Thanks for the recipe and video! I always have way too much kim chee in my fridge so now I have a way to using it up. My family loves ground turkey and tofu, and I love easy recipes, so we'll be making this soon.

Ben, you come across as very interesting and sincere in your videos. I hope the networks snatch you up soon!

sue said...

Hey, I had fun watching this :) I've never thought of kimchi in ma po tofu ... great idea, I'll have to try it!. Sometimes I put tomyam paste in mine.