I had this in China a lot. Scrumptious!

Ma La Tofu

This dish gets its name (má là = numbing and spicy) from two types of pepper, the numbingly hot aroma of sichuan pepper and the fiery hot flavour of chili pepper. This combination is great even if you’re not that fond of super-spicy food. The tongue-numbing effect of sichuan pepper is felt only after consuming bigger quantities of it, and its unique, rich aroma can be enjoyed by using it in moderation as well. This recipe is based on the ma la tofu recipe from Bryanna Clark Grogan’s excellent Authentic Chinese Cuisine for the Contemporary Kitchen.

One teaspoon of chili and sichuan pepper each don’t yet make a fiery dish, but it’s enough to enjoy the combination of their flavours. If you prefer more spiciness in your food, don’t hesitate to add more, but take it easy on the sichuan pepper if you’re not familiar with it – if you add it too much it starts to dominate the dish.
Sauce:

• 1 teaspoon toasted and freshly ground sichuan pepper (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes (or to taste)
• ½ dl dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fermented black beans
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed

Stir-Fry Ingredients:

• 350 g broccoli
• 1 red bell pepper
• a quarter of a leek (or maybe 1 small leek, we didn’t have more!)
• ½ kg tofu
• 1 tablespoon canola oil for frying
• 2 teaspoons starch diluted in 4 tablespoons water

First we drained and pressed the tofu. Then we toasted the sichuan peppers over medium heat on a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes, stirring them every now and then so that they would not burn, after which I ground them in a mortar. Next, I mashed the fermented black beans with a fork, and then mixed all the sauce ingredients together: sichuan pepper, chili, sherry, soy sauce, black beans and garlic.
Then we cut all the veggies and the tofu into small pieces. You could also cut them into thin strips, squares, triangles or whatever shape pleases you!
Now, we put a wok over high heat, added the oil, and when the oil was really hot, we added the leek and paprika first, stir-fried them for a minute or so, then added the broccoli, fried it for maybe two minutes or so, then added the tofu, and stir-fried for maybe a minute more. Next, it was time to pour in the sauce, cook and stir for about one minute or so. Then we added the thickener, and stirred it in. We removed the wok from heat, and served the dish with yasmine rice immediately.

New Year 2013

Well, it's January 3 already and life has changed.  We lost our Abby in August of 2012; I moved to China the day after her funeral to teach for a semester.  It was so good to come home for Christmas, but our hearts ache for our little girl who is not with us.

I am comforted with knowing that she is in Heaven now and that she never did have to experience the sad things of life such as rejection or heartache.  She is probably singing with angels and flying here and there investigating the glories of a different realm.  Most of all she gets to be under the direct care of the Good Shepherd.  Our little lamb Abby and the Good Shepherd - what a wonderful thought.

So what does 2013 hold for us now?  I am going to Quebec with our other granddaughter, Isabella Zander.  She is fluent in French and her French immersion school will be traveling in June to a French speaking North American locale.  I have been to Montreal and Quebec City along with other points of interest in that province and never tire of the quaint and European feel it has to offer.  I am looking forward to being with Isabella as she translates and perhaps teaches me a little French.

Bill and I will head down to our place in Mesa, Arizona in April, an annual tradition.  It is always so refreshing to unwind there with friends and family.  His brother and sister-in-law have purchased a home there too; their son also bought a place, so we are looking forward to checking out their properties.  Most of all, I love to ride bike with Bill, go to the local produce market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at an affordable cost, and cook and eat simply. 

I'm going to check out various teaching opportunities - subbing for our local school district and perhaps doing adjunct work at the univeristy in our city.  I love teaching English as a second language and like to say that I travel the world every day in my classroom.  My students have been from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe.  It really doesn't get any better than this for me.

I intend to blog more this year and perhaps post some photos of China, which was quite the cultural experience.