Mapo Tofu

Tonight’s dinner is one of my favorites to date. Everything clicked today, and the food came out amazing. Last week, we partnered with Big Picture Beef, a collective of farmers in New England who raise cattle using sustainable and ethical practices. Not only is it great that we can support BPB, but the beef is absolutely amazing. I have been wanting to do mapo tofu for a long time, and this beef was the catalyst for that. It came out goooood. Not too spicy. If it was all for me, I definitely would have made it 10x spicier, but I’m crazy like that… The flavors are deep and rich, thanks to reduced chicken stock, fermented black beans, roasted garlic, and ginger. With fluffy jasmine rice, broccoli, and green beans, tonight’s dinner is sure to be a hit. Get in there!

For the mapo tofu:

Warm a splash or two of water in a small saucepot. Scoop the mapo tofu into the pot (it thickened up a lot as it cooled, due to the chicken stock), and stir it around to get it nice and hot.

For the broccoli:

Broil the broccoli on high, on a sheet tray lined with tinfoil until it gets nice and roasty on top, about 4-5 minutes. Don’t be afraid of the char! Once it’s nice and hot, plate it up and garnish with some fried shallots.

For the beans:

The beans will do best under the broiler as well, but will take a lot less time. I honestly prefer to eat these lightly blistered beans cold, but it’s up to you! Try both 🙂

For the rice:

Either pop this in the microwave for a minute or two, covered with a damp towel, or steam quickly in a saute pan with a splash or two of water. When it’s hot, add some butter and fluff it up!

To the plate!

Or to the bowl, rather. Start with rice, beans, and broccoli, and plate the mapo tofu over the rice, so it soaks up all that sauce. Enjoy 🙂