Yes please! This is one of the marquee recipes in TMCC, featured in the second interview profile of Danny Bowien “San Francisco” (I think… It’s actually been about 4 years since I’ve read it.) The “Chili Crisp,” a spicy numbing homemade version of the umami bomb with red label that is ubiquitous in asian markets, is the real highlight.
Cooking notes: consider cutting salt in the chili crisp for this recipe (subsequent use of this ingredient had a good salt balance). Also, consider using a more delicate (very soft) tofu next time.
Joe’s Rating: 6.5
Joe Cook Me 
One response to “Mapo Tofu (The Mission Chinese Cookbook)”
[…] Mapo Tofu is something that can go either way for me. I’ve had some very peppery, pungent versions that I love as well as some goopy insipid versions. I figure this is a good benchmark recipe to try from TFoS. At the very least I am glad to learn a canonical version of this classic dish to contrast with the pungent version I made from The Mission Chinese Cookbook. […]
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