Joy wrote:I was running errands yesterday with NPR on the radio and caught just five minutes of the end of an interview with someone that turned out to be Kenji! He was hawking his new book. I assume the interview might be available online somewhere? Did anyone else hear it?
Joy wrote:...The Trib article also gives the recipe for Kenji's Momma's Mapo Tofu with a big photo of the finished dish that is inspiring me! The recipe calls for ground beef but I have some ground lamb in the freezer that I am sure would play very nicely with the other ingredients!
JoelF wrote:Joy wrote:...The Trib article also gives the recipe for Kenji's Momma's Mapo Tofu with a big photo of the finished dish that is inspiring me! The recipe calls for ground beef but I have some ground lamb in the freezer that I am sure would play very nicely with the other ingredients!
I took one look at that recipe and went, "Nope."
Not a chile in the whole thing, no black beans. That's not Mapo.
MY MOM'S JAPANESE-STYLE MAPO TOFU
This version of mapo tofu is similar to what J. Kenji Lopez-Alt ate growing up, though instead of plain ground beef his mom would use the dish as an opportunity to use up leftover dumpling filling. Unlike the numbing-hot Sichuan version, this one is savory and sweet, with the classic Japanese flavors soy, sake and mirin, and comes together even faster.
WhyBeeSea wrote:JoelF wrote:Joy wrote:...The Trib article also gives the recipe for Kenji's Momma's Mapo Tofu with a big photo of the finished dish that is inspiring me! The recipe calls for ground beef but I have some ground lamb in the freezer that I am sure would play very nicely with the other ingredients!
I took one look at that recipe and went, "Nope."
Not a chile in the whole thing, no black beans. That's not Mapo.
If it's his mom's recipe, I'm assuming he was going for the Japanese take on mapo tofu which is much less spicy and adds sweetness. That's the version I grew up eating.
JoelF wrote:WhyBeeSea wrote:JoelF wrote:Joy wrote:...The Trib article also gives the recipe for Kenji's Momma's Mapo Tofu with a big photo of the finished dish that is inspiring me! The recipe calls for ground beef but I have some ground lamb in the freezer that I am sure would play very nicely with the other ingredients!
I took one look at that recipe and went, "Nope."
Not a chile in the whole thing, no black beans. That's not Mapo.
If it's his mom's recipe, I'm assuming he was going for the Japanese take on mapo tofu which is much less spicy and adds sweetness. That's the version I grew up eating.
Oh, no arguments about "authenticity" -- I just am not interested in making it one bit.