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Ma Po Tofu

A spicy Sichuan dish of tofu, ground pork, and bean paste.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Tofu and sesame match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 250 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Ma Po Tofu

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the tofu and cook for 1 minute to remove acidity.

  2. Remove tofu, drain and set aside.

Cook the pork and sauce

  1. Heat the vegetable oil medium hot in a wok or large skillet.

  2. Sauté the garlic and chive until garlic aroma is evident, about 2 minutes.

  3. Add the pork, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon.

  4. Cook until all pink is gone, about 5 minutes.

  5. Add the bean paste, chicken broth and tofu.

  6. Bring to a boil.

  7. Reduce the heat and let simmer about 5 minutes.

  8. Dissolve the cornstarch in water.

  9. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the broth.

  10. Bring to a boil to thicken the sauce.

  11. Just before serving, add the sesame and chili oils.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1190Calories
80 gProtein
51 gFat
99 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 12 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Pork100g cooked242
Chicken100g cooked165
Sesame1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Tofu100g firm76
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Chive1 tbsp (3g)1
Beannot in our table0
Saucenot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Tofu + sesametop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together250 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Garlic + chivetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,149 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  3. Pork + chickentop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,417 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).

  4. Chive + sesametop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together89 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Garlic + sesametop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,000 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Tofu
Provides the soft, absorbent body that soaks up the spicy sauce.
Ground pork
Adds savory meaty flavor and richness to the sauce.
Spicy bean paste
Supplies the salty, fermented heat that defines the sauce's flavor.
Cornstarch
Thickens the broth into a glossy sauce that clings to the tofu.
Chicken broth
Forms the liquid base that carries the seasonings and dissolves the starch.
Sesame oil
Adds nutty aroma when stirred in at the end, off the heat's direct influence.

The step that matters

Thickening the sauce with cornstarch slurry. Cornstarch must be fully dissolved in cold water before adding, or it clumps. The sauce then needs a full boil to activate the starch and thicken properly.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, garlic, chive, pork, sauce, chicken, sesame):

  1. Cuminfits better
  2. Capersfits better
  3. Gingerfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, garlic, chive, pork, sauce, chicken, sesame. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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