Ma Po Tofu

Szechuan province in China is known for its spicy food. People there use prickly ash in their dishes. Prickly ash looks like pepper corn covered in a pink covering. It numbs your taste buds when bitten which helps mask the spice in the food. It is known as triphala in India.

When I visited my sister in California, she made a tofu dish in a spicy sauce, called Ma Po Tofu. It tasted very good. Yesterday I made this dish to go with Szechuan Rice. It was so spicy I thought my kids may not be able to handle it. To my amazement my daughter loved it. My son had it with sour cream.

Ingredients:
1 Package (14 ounces) firm tofu, drained
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 vegetable broth, divided
2 Tablespoons black bean sauce
1 Tablespoon chili sauce
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tblespoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 Cup fresh green onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon prickly ash, dry roasted and broken (pound in a mortar)

Method:
1. Drain tofu. Place between layers of paper towels. Place a cutting board and heavy cans on top for 15 minutes.
2. Cut tofu into 3/4-inch squares. Place in a shallow dish; sprinkle with soy sauce and ginger.
3. Stir together 1/4 cup broth, black bean sauce, chili sauceand cornstarch in small bowl; set aside.
4. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add garlic; cook for a minute. Ad remaining 3/4 cup broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simer 3 minutes.

5. Stir sauce mixture and add to wok. Cook and stir 1 minute or until sauce boils and thickens. Stir in tofu an simmer, uncovere, until heated through. Mix in prickly ash. Sprinle with green onion. Serve with cooked rice.

Notes:
You can add bite-size pieces of 1 green bell pepper and 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets before adding sauce mixture.