Ma Po Tofu (From Cooking Light)

Submitted by LonghornMama

"Tried this the other day and loved it! If you use a couple of 8 oz. packages of diced tofu, found in the produce section of your grocery store, and bottled minced ginger, this goes together in no time. A rice cooker does a great job with brown rice, too, and will keep the rice warm until serving. A quick, healthy dish from Cooking Light."

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 (1 lb) package reduced-fat firm tofu, cut into 6 slices
• 1⁄2 cup reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 -2 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce (I use 2 teaspoons)
• 4 ounces ground lean pork
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated & peeled
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups cooked long-grain brown rice, while it's still hot
• 1⁄3 cup green onion, chopped

directions

1. Place tofu slices on several layers of paper towels, cover with additional paper towels. Place a dinner plate on top of covered tofu; let stand 30 minutes. Remove plate, discard paper towels. Cut tofu slices into 1/2-inch cubes.
2. Combine broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, oyster sauce and chili garlic sauce, stirring with a whisk.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 4 minutes or until done, stirring to crumble. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tofu; cook 4 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Add broth mixture to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
4. Serve tofu mixture over rice. Sprinkle with onions.

Reviews

[YungB]

Very authentic considering it came from Cooking Light. People that dont like tofu will eat this one up. My mom used to make this for us on those quick dinner nights where she was tired from work. She would pair it with stir fry baby bok choy. We all loved it. The only thing she would add is about 1 teaspoon of sugar to balance out the savory/soy sauce/oyster sauce. She also used water instead of chicken broth. One more thing I would recommend is to be sure to follow the instruction and cut the tofu into 1/2 X 1/2 inch squares. This way they will absorb the delicious sauce; otherwise, most would not like a big chunk of tofu. Other than that, I remember the ingredients to be the same as my mom's.

 

[Rodney B.]

Really liked this. Made with 1lb of ground pork and about 10 oz. of rsff chicken broth. Came out very well. Will definitely make this again.

 

[Sarah Beth S.]

It turned out decently, but next time I will try a different recipe to compare. The flavor wasn't as pronounced as I was expecting. I used lean ground turkey instead of pork as I'm on weight watchers and that made it 0 pts. But I had to add extra oyster and soy sauce while it simmered, because when I tasted the dish I wasn't getting enough flavor. Maybe because the turkey broth I used (my husband is allergic to chicken) was too intensely flavored and overpowering. I also used half a white onion that I sauteed early on, and only a sprinkle of dried scallions. I would continue to use onion or shallot, I find every recipe is better with some onion in there. I also added frozen peas which gave it a little something extra for zero points. Yay ww freestyle!

 

[sarahLP]

I made this recipe on a hot Sunday afternoon, and it was fantastic with a glass of crisp white wine. Due to a limited cupboard, and an overwhelming desire NOT to run to the grocery store, I left out the oyster sauce, and substituted lean ground turkey for the pork. I also used a bit of flour instead of cornstarch as a thickener. For some additional crunch, I chopped up 3 sticks of celery and added it with about 2 minutes left to cook. I'll definitely cook this again, and would serve it to friends for a casual dinner. With wine.

 

[pammyowl]

I used leftover pork that I diced up and pickled ginger, as that is what I had, otherwise followed the recipe. It was good, but a touch salty for me. Thanks for sharing! Made for Name that Ingredient tag game.