Exploring the ins and outs of Chinese cuisine and home cooking is my ongoing pursuit. I love finding unique dishes while eating out and then smelling up my kitchen trying to recreate it at home.
The Sichuan province is right smack dab in the middle o'China. It's got its little provincial nose up in erryone's bidness. Maybe that's why Sichuan dishes taste sooooo good.
Before Martinis and IMAX at Fernbank one night, I took a trip to Johns Creek, GA to try out Cafe Q. Cafe Q serves up some rather authentic Sichuanese dishes filled with garlic and chili oil. We ordered a soup called "White Pepper and Vinegar" that was well-balanced and light. The manager told us it was "very chinese" because the ingredients were so fresh and simple.
We also ordered a spicy fried chicken dish, braised eggplant stuffed with shrimp, and the dish I always associate with Sichuan - Ma Po Tofu. It's essentially soft tofu with cooked ground pork served in a spicy bean and chili oil sauce. I've heard that it is actually mind-numbingly spicy if made using traditional ingredients.
I found a recipe online I love - a Korean variation on Ma Po Tofu that includes the not-so-Sichuanese black bean sauce instead of spicy bean paste. The recipe includes chopped kimchi to add some heat, but I sometimes add sambal oelek chili paste when I'm feeling wacky.
The original post is available at Cooking for the Single Guy - the man is super skinny, but he's always eating. Where does it all go? /hate
I actually think you can now find all of the ingredients at a regular urban supermarket thanks to globalization. I saw a jar of Kimchi in the produce section of Publix the other day. The recipe calls for turkey, but I used pork. You don't want to get mixed up with a lady like me. I'm a loner, Dottie, a rebel.
Follow the recipe loosely and with a growing awareness of your own awesomeness for creating a real, Chinese home-cooked meal right in your very own galley studio apartment kitchen. Serve with brown rice.
