Get Cooking’s take on Mabo Dofu, a classic tofu and meat dish

This post was a guest post on a blog that I love, Just Bento, in October 2009. I’ve posted it here for continuity and posterity. I encourage you to check out the other posts on Just Bento (and Just Hungry) as Maki has some of the clearest Japanese recipes you will find on the web (and some non-Japanese as well), and is currently one of my favorite food bloggers.

I know this might be looking a bit too decadent to any lover of authentic Mabo Dofu, but, well, no Japanese dish stays very authentic in my hands for too long. Mabo Dofu, an originally Chinese dish popular in Japan, is beef and tofu simmered in a red miso-ginger-garlic-chili sauce. Over the years, it has become a staple in my household. Like everything else I make regularly, the recipe changes slightly each time depending on what ingredients and condiments we have around.

The more I make and eat mabo dofu, the more I love it. I used to use sauce packets that you can find in many Asian groceries, but then I realized how much more easy, cheap, and tasty it was to make the sauce myself. While the list of ingredients looks long, it’s a very simple dish to prepare. After you have it once, you may even start adding some of the main ingredients to your fridge and pantry staples. Before this dish entered my life, I had an aversion to tofu. Having tofu in a dish where it is not meant as a substitute for something else changed my perspective on the protein completely. This is my favorite use for tofu.

Read Full Post »

Mabo Dofu, Featured on Just Bento

Just Bento published a guest post by yours truly this morning. The post features my take on Mabo Dofu, a Chinese turned Japanese dish that I fell in love with some years ago. The dish is simple, satisfying, while still tantalizing to the tongue and taste buds; it’s one of my favorites. It gave me an entirely new perspective on the use of tofu as an ingredient rather than a meat substitute. The sauce, which is vegan, can be used in many other dishes, so don’t be put off by the meat in the whole recipe.

I’ll be posting the recipe here for posterity but for now, go check it out at Just Bento!

Read Full Post »

Just Hungry’s “Moffles” (Mochi Waffles)

Many of you may know, that I, like Alton Brown, hate kitchen gadgets that only do one thing. To justify the real estate taken up by a huge gadget like a waffle iron, I try to find as many unusual uses for the thing as possible. That’s why I was thrilled to read about Maki’s “Moffles” on Just Hungry. Moffles are mochi rectangles pressed and grilled in a waffle iron until they become crispy wafers, gooey on the inside. Mochi, for the non-Japan-o-philes out there, is glutinous rice flour dough, which often comes in rectangles.

Jen did all the ironing of these waffles. She brushed sesame oil onto the machine for extra flavor and to aid in removing the finished moffles. Because I’m a broken record, I spread freshly-made guacamole all over mine. Jen had some with guac, some with Japanese Bulldog barbeque sauce and a sweet one with a bit of chocolate syrup, maple syrup and whipped cream.

I give this technique a definite A+ so if you have a waffle iron and can get ahold of mochi near you, head over to Just Hungry for the recipe. This is worth a try. Yum!

Read Full Post »