De Anza College student Ashley Hin outlined how to make the Chinese dish mapo tofu in an online cooking event with the Jeanne Miller Resource Room.

“Growing up, my grandma would make this all the time,” said Hin, a 22-year-old sculpting major. “It just reminds me of childhood memories.”

Mapo tofu is an easy, inexpensive, customizable dish.

“Every time I have friends over and we don’t want to spend money on food, we make mapo tofu together,” Hin said.

Hin shared the following recipe:

Ingredients:
1 pack firm tofu
1 pack ground beef, pork, or meat substitute
Mushrooms, chopped (optional)
Green onion, chopped
Oyster sauce
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Chili oil
Salt and pepper
Paprika
Garlic powder
Ginger powder
Chili flakes
Steamed rice for serving (optional)

Directions:
Dice tofu into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

In a bowl, combine meat, spices, including salt and pepper, and mushrooms (optional).

Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili oil. Bear in mind the amount of salt already added. Add about half of chopped green onion. Mix well.

Heat cooking oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.

Cook meat in the frying pan until the meat is brown and done. There should be a soupy red liquid from cooking the meat.

Once the meat is well done, add the tofu. Mix the two, careful not to break up the tofu.

Lower heat to medium-low. Let cook for another three to five minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Serve with rice. Garnish with the remaining green onion.

More Jean Miller Resource Room events can be found here.