Polly's MAPO TOFU #2

I had another urge to try making the MAPO TOFU.   I missed the chance to visit the Szechwan restaurant while in Japan.  Just did not have enough time in a day!   What a bummer! I was there but couldn't make it.   So here is my #2 try for myself.   Result?  It's missing that Szechwan chili's kick.  Likely I have to revisit it again.  

This is another tasty lunch  Bento of mine.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp Organic sugar
• 2 tsp Organic soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp fermented black bean paste
• 1 Tbsp Chinese Chili Paste - RA-JIAN, I did not have 1/2 tsp Szechwan peppercorns, black seeds removed then ground (optional)
• 2 tsp Douban jiang (chili bean paste)
• 1 Tbsp EVOO
• 6 ounces ground pork - finely chopped
• 2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 1 Tbsp cooking wine
• 4 green onions white part only, minced but if you only have green part, that's fine, too.
• 1 cup chicken broth less sodium
• 2 tsp potato starch - premixed with some of the chicken broth
• 1 package of Organic Firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• green part of green onions minced for garnish

"Go Cook Rice!" -  Steam your rice first and set it aside.
In Wok (I used Teflon coated), add 1 Tbsp EVOO.  Heat up (medium high), then stir fry ground pork.  Separate into fine individual nodules as much as you can.   If you are using a stainless frying pan, heat the pan well, then, add EVOO and wait till EVOO begin to shimmer, then, add ground pork to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the frying pan.
Add ginger and garlic.   Add cooking wine (deodorize pork and add nice flavor) and stir fry until it evaporates.   Add white part of the green onions or green onions and stir fry till meat is slightly browner than tan pink.  I like my meat brown a bit to bring out more flavor to the dish.   Then, Add sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, fermented black bean paste, chili paste. Medium heat.   Stir fry until aromatic.   Add 1 C chicken stock to the wok.   Stir the potato starch with 2 Tbsp of Chicken stock.  Add to wok.  Stir.   Add cut up TOFU and scoop the meat mixture over and gently stir without cutting into TOFU - heat through the TOFU.  The slur will thicken the chicken stock in the mean time.  Lower the heat to medium low and cook for one more minute.  Remove. Garnish with chopped green onions.   Serve with rice.

Polly's Travel Log -- Japan

16th Kendo World Championship ended with intense match  of Japan vs Korea.

My trip here is full of memory and feeling of accomplishment within my time line.  I felt relieved again that I completed the trip with ease through the amazing public train transportation.  Even though this is the second time I am traveling back to Japan it worried me much more than the last time.  My sister is not coming with me.  Traveling to Europe alone the last time was easier.  Psychological tripping that I caused in mind is more than the anxiety I wanted to feel.  After all this is not a strange land. This is like going back to visit my hometown.  Numerous illogical comical  'fear' appear to have taken hold of me.  "Sardine" train ride is one and maze like train station network.    Not sure if I can express myself all fully in Japanese.  But everything went smoothly.  I just spoke the language that came naturally - half Japanese and half English.  Train station JR Express' Green window staff are very helpful and most of them spoke English quite well.  The JR Express ticket I purchased took me all the way north to AOMORI and even had time for ONSEN, natural spring bath, and back.  I wanted to travel as far north as HOKKAIDO, but it will have to be on next itinerary if I should visit Japan again.  One of the funy feeling I had was that every morning when I wake up I think I am still in the States in a way.  Other than people and street signs, etc, if you are strolling through Sunshine City shopping mall, you would think you are in Valley Fair,,.  But of course it has its own flavor.  I even found Krispy Creme.  They stock far more varieties of fashionable selective items than in normal States' retails would stock.  Japanese young people are very fashionable even in humid heat, well dressed and on the average they are far taller than today's' Americans' - I say.  On the trains, I am surrounded by ladies and men who are 5'8" - 6' train riders.  They said it's the diet.  They have been eating more protein diet.

That's all for now. Time to board the plane.

Polly's Coconut Jello with Fruits Cocktails

This is one of the favorite desserts in Asia that is simple to make.  Normally I make the Chinese style 'Almond' Jello, but for our office's Cultural Day Vietnamese booth, I made coconut flavor jello.  I had to make a trial batch to find out the intensity of the coconut flavor.  And I am glad I tested two different cans of coconuts, etc.   Do you have a favorite coconut jello / pudding  recipe at your blog site?  Let me try it.

The first batch:

The 2nd batch:

Can't see the difference, but tastes of coconut is more intense in the second batch.