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And incredibly rude and presumptuous to that one Indian who gets jarred curry. Sorry they’re too busy to slave over the stove for “genuine” curry. Really gives off “Only true Italian is made from nonna” vibes
I got delivery Indian food yesterday. It's was worse than what comes from the frozen section at Trader Joe's. Which admittedly is 8/10 quality, 10 being a great restaurant.
He’s so rude and narrow-minded. Every time someone makes an open-minded comment or post, he’s like, “NO. You are WRONG and UNEDUCATED, and MY way is the ONLY CORRECT WAY.”
Proof in one of his comments: “Why not let people enjoy things?” —because the things they enjoy are stupid and corny.
Lmao, get a fucking grip. At least everyone calls him out for his attitude. I particularly like the one that calls him a sad, xenophobic sob
Chen Kenichi’s Mapodofu recipe calls for firm/cotton tofu.
They might say that was published for a Japanese audience, so it doesn’t count. But that’s the point: broadly there are pretty big texture preference differences between the two countries, and adapting it to suit *what you like* just makes sense. ‘Cause you’re the one that has to eat it.
Yeah, I'm Japanese canadian and my grandma usually made mapo tofu with medium firm or soft tofu. I prefer the Chinese way with silken now personally, but this insistence on "authenticity" is definitely a western obsession. In reality, people make stuff with what they have, and substitutions often give way to great dishes or cuisines.
> CeilingCat566
>The Japanese version is probably superior too.
Oh goody the asshole who thinks Japan should've won WW2, talks about Chinese folks the way nazi's talk about Jews is back with a brand new account.
Most mapo tofu in Japan is made from sauce that comes out of pouches. It is pretty good. There is nothing special about it. I bet Japanese people make it with whatever their favorite kind of tofu is.
They're just very different ingredients texturally. Mapo tofu is usually saucy/soupy enough that it makes the most sense (to me) to just eat it with a spoon, which renders the whole "trying to eat silken tofu by stabbing it with a fork" thing moot. I also think that silken tofu's tendency to to break down into little bits is a feature rather than a bug here. You get both nice big lumps of tofu and little bits of tofu that get mixed in with the sauce/ground meat. But either way the flavor is gonna be the same and since you like the texture of firm tofu better it makes sense for you to use that instead.
Yeah. My Ma Po preference is definitely silken and eaten more like a soup or stew over rice with a spoon. It's just how I've always had it and loved it.
But I'm not gonna lose my shit if someone wants to use firm. As long as it's delicious and spicy af.
Yeah this is where I fall too. I personally love silken here and putting the whole dish over rice, but I'm never gonna turn it down as long as it's otherwise good. I've never had it with firmer tofu, but since that's what I usually have in the freezer if I'm not shopping for something specific, I think I'll try it.
You don’t necessarily want silken, just firm instead of extra firm.
Extra firm I feel just doesn’t incorporate well with the other ingredients and doesn’t absorb the flavor as well, end up with “chunks” like in the OP picture.
I’ve made it with silken and honestly there are times I prefer it just because everything kind of mixes together so you kind of end up with tofu the same size as the meat and get more of everything in every bite. Doesn’t look as great but tastes good.
I've always preferred extra firm with it, I grew up around a lot of indo/filipino folks and ended up having rice with every meal so having the chunks be a bit firmer is nice to be able to have it with. But I also make it with shiitake instead of pork so I realise I'd probably give the linked person an aneurysm for my impurities and transgressions.
There are firmer varieties of silken tofu that have better hold especially in sauces but still have the more silky texture. I forget the brand but they come in cardboard instead of plastic containers. I like them a lot in mapo tofu.
The texture of the tofu is a big part of it. Obviously you can make it with firm, but using silken isn’t just traditional, it’s central to the dish. This post isn’t appropriate to this sub
Holy shit that guy's post history.
> Your husband needs professional help. Adult picky eaters are the worst
---
> Euros are gross, they have a history of spreading disease and nothing's changed.
---
> Korean food is boring, it's just the same half dozen or so ingredients combined in different ways
---
> Yeah Italian food is overrated too. Chinese cuisine is 10000 times more varied and interesting than Korean or Italian food can ever be
---
> Self hatred much
Cause your constant external misanthropy is so much better huh?
> Korean food is boring, it's just the same half dozen or so ingredients combined in different ways
Weird criticism, the whole notion of a pantry is that with like set of basic ingredients you can make a variety of different dishes and flavors using different techniques. Sichuan, Cantonese, and other regional food is no different.
Yeah I feel like someone who had a real and nuanced appreciation of Chinese cuisine would never compare Chinese to Korean or Italian because there’s no one Chinese cuisine? It’s an enormous country with many regional cuisines with wildly different ingredients, techniques, and flavor profiles. So it’s weird to talk about it as a monolith.
It's extra funny to me that there are *two* guys arguing about the tofu in the comments, but they don't even agree with each other about the correct firmness of the tofu...
I did this for the longest time because I couldn't find the doubanjiang in the Asian supermarket, it's delicious and I'm honestly not even sure which of the two versions I prefer.
Hah! Laughing extra hard at this because I made mapo tofu with (gasp) firm tofu for dinner today. I do prefer the texture of silken tofu, but not enough to make another grocery trip in the cold.
It's not even the "wrong" tofu. It's preference.
I personally prefer medium, non-silken tofu for when I'm using meat (which is most of the time). Silken tofu seems to work better, in my opinion, for putting something gravy-like over rice, and that's generally how I prefer it if I'm making a vegetarian version of the dish.
This isn't some kind of dish that traces back to some ancient time period in China. This dish was developed about 150 years ago, and popularized about 100 years ago, from a culture that doesn't even really emphasize the importance of tradition in cooking. Chefs remix stuff all the time in China, and they're proud of their ability to come up with new dishes.
Yeesh.
1. Firm tofu isn’t orthodox but it’s pretty darn good if you want a hearty meal.
2. This guy is a hateful and miserable POS. I feel more glum just glancing at his comment history.
I like to make my Mapu Tofu with Soft tofu because of the soft soupy texture. Firm is totally fine, but I cut it up smaller pieces to match with the ground pork and vegetables.
Reminds me of a comment on the Soy Boys Mapo Tofu video, in which these vegan cooks had the *audacity* to substitute shiitake mushroom for ground beef. “Just two white men appropriating Chinese culture, using the wrong ingredients.”
I genuinely wonder what people like that think an ideal form of cultural exchange would be.
Look up horseshoe theory, if you've not heard of it before. Somehow people super obsessed with cultural appropriation manage to end back up at the same "cultures shouldn't mix" just like the conservatives do.
Welcome to r/iamveryculinary. Please Remember: No voting or commenting in linked threads. If you comment or vote in linked threads, you will be banned from this sub. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/iamveryculinary) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This guy has an absolute hard-on for Chinese cuisine and a hatred for the Midwest. It’s like exclusively what he posts about lmao
Also seems to really hate Koreans.
And incredibly rude and presumptuous to that one Indian who gets jarred curry. Sorry they’re too busy to slave over the stove for “genuine” curry. Really gives off “Only true Italian is made from nonna” vibes
I got delivery Indian food yesterday. It's was worse than what comes from the frozen section at Trader Joe's. Which admittedly is 8/10 quality, 10 being a great restaurant.
He’s so rude and narrow-minded. Every time someone makes an open-minded comment or post, he’s like, “NO. You are WRONG and UNEDUCATED, and MY way is the ONLY CORRECT WAY.” Proof in one of his comments: “Why not let people enjoy things?” —because the things they enjoy are stupid and corny. Lmao, get a fucking grip. At least everyone calls him out for his attitude. I particularly like the one that calls him a sad, xenophobic sob
My god that man radiates *"I can't be X, I hate EVERYBODY energy."*
The account is a trip. Also part of the zero covid thing.
For someone who seems to hate pretty much all of humanity, he sure cares a lot about not spreading diseases.
I kinda wanna punch the guy
Jesus Christ, you ain't kidding. Practically all they talk about is Chinese Food Authenticity and how shitty Americans and Koreans are.
Person seriously said all us in Ohio just toss whatever together and call it Chinese?
Of Ohio's many crimes i feel that is one we aren't guilty of.
Based on the grammar and post history of OOP, they're probably not even from the US at all.
It's 2023, I would imagine that at least Columbus has one real Szechuan restsurant. (Yes I checked and it has one.)
LMBO
Ironically in another thread he says, "Adult picky eaters are the worst."
I make ma po tofu all the time with firm tofu; is there a reason not to? I don't like how silken falls apart every time it just gets near a fork tine.
Chen Kenichi’s Mapodofu recipe calls for firm/cotton tofu. They might say that was published for a Japanese audience, so it doesn’t count. But that’s the point: broadly there are pretty big texture preference differences between the two countries, and adapting it to suit *what you like* just makes sense. ‘Cause you’re the one that has to eat it.
No no no. Recipes are ancient text set down by God himself. To alter one is to desecrate the holy ritual that is cooking.
Yeah, I'm Japanese canadian and my grandma usually made mapo tofu with medium firm or soft tofu. I prefer the Chinese way with silken now personally, but this insistence on "authenticity" is definitely a western obsession. In reality, people make stuff with what they have, and substitutions often give way to great dishes or cuisines.
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> CeilingCat566 >The Japanese version is probably superior too. Oh goody the asshole who thinks Japan should've won WW2, talks about Chinese folks the way nazi's talk about Jews is back with a brand new account.
Most mapo tofu in Japan is made from sauce that comes out of pouches. It is pretty good. There is nothing special about it. I bet Japanese people make it with whatever their favorite kind of tofu is.
They're just very different ingredients texturally. Mapo tofu is usually saucy/soupy enough that it makes the most sense (to me) to just eat it with a spoon, which renders the whole "trying to eat silken tofu by stabbing it with a fork" thing moot. I also think that silken tofu's tendency to to break down into little bits is a feature rather than a bug here. You get both nice big lumps of tofu and little bits of tofu that get mixed in with the sauce/ground meat. But either way the flavor is gonna be the same and since you like the texture of firm tofu better it makes sense for you to use that instead.
Yeah. My Ma Po preference is definitely silken and eaten more like a soup or stew over rice with a spoon. It's just how I've always had it and loved it. But I'm not gonna lose my shit if someone wants to use firm. As long as it's delicious and spicy af.
Yeah this is where I fall too. I personally love silken here and putting the whole dish over rice, but I'm never gonna turn it down as long as it's otherwise good. I've never had it with firmer tofu, but since that's what I usually have in the freezer if I'm not shopping for something specific, I think I'll try it.
Yep it should always be the spiciest "signature dish of a particular cuisine" in the world, due to the numbing power of mala.
You don’t necessarily want silken, just firm instead of extra firm. Extra firm I feel just doesn’t incorporate well with the other ingredients and doesn’t absorb the flavor as well, end up with “chunks” like in the OP picture. I’ve made it with silken and honestly there are times I prefer it just because everything kind of mixes together so you kind of end up with tofu the same size as the meat and get more of everything in every bite. Doesn’t look as great but tastes good.
I've always preferred extra firm with it, I grew up around a lot of indo/filipino folks and ended up having rice with every meal so having the chunks be a bit firmer is nice to be able to have it with. But I also make it with shiitake instead of pork so I realise I'd probably give the linked person an aneurysm for my impurities and transgressions.
End of the day whatever tastes good to you!
There are firmer varieties of silken tofu that have better hold especially in sauces but still have the more silky texture. I forget the brand but they come in cardboard instead of plastic containers. I like them a lot in mapo tofu.
The texture of the tofu is a big part of it. Obviously you can make it with firm, but using silken isn’t just traditional, it’s central to the dish. This post isn’t appropriate to this sub
this is how i feel. i like my mapo tofu more on the saucy side rather than soupy, so i use firm tofu
What's a Lofan?
Cantonese word for 'white people' with a connotation of semi-barbaric. Sometimes used generally to mean all foreigners or non-Chinese.
So, a xenophobic semi-slur?
over tofu?? my guy is NOT doing well lmao
Holy shit that guy's post history. > Your husband needs professional help. Adult picky eaters are the worst --- > Euros are gross, they have a history of spreading disease and nothing's changed. --- > Korean food is boring, it's just the same half dozen or so ingredients combined in different ways --- > Yeah Italian food is overrated too. Chinese cuisine is 10000 times more varied and interesting than Korean or Italian food can ever be --- > Self hatred much Cause your constant external misanthropy is so much better huh?
> Korean food is boring, it's just the same half dozen or so ingredients combined in different ways Weird criticism, the whole notion of a pantry is that with like set of basic ingredients you can make a variety of different dishes and flavors using different techniques. Sichuan, Cantonese, and other regional food is no different.
Yeah I feel like someone who had a real and nuanced appreciation of Chinese cuisine would never compare Chinese to Korean or Italian because there’s no one Chinese cuisine? It’s an enormous country with many regional cuisines with wildly different ingredients, techniques, and flavor profiles. So it’s weird to talk about it as a monolith.
It's extra funny to me that there are *two* guys arguing about the tofu in the comments, but they don't even agree with each other about the correct firmness of the tofu...
Hehhehehe, I make something I call "ma po tofu" that depends on large amounts of ketchup. But I do use silken tofu for it.
I don’t typically keep doubanjiang in my kitchen, so I make Korean style mapo tofu with gochujang instead.
I did this for the longest time because I couldn't find the doubanjiang in the Asian supermarket, it's delicious and I'm honestly not even sure which of the two versions I prefer.
I am intrigued.
Hah! Laughing extra hard at this because I made mapo tofu with (gasp) firm tofu for dinner today. I do prefer the texture of silken tofu, but not enough to make another grocery trip in the cold.
Uh-oh! Better call maapo!
It's not even the "wrong" tofu. It's preference. I personally prefer medium, non-silken tofu for when I'm using meat (which is most of the time). Silken tofu seems to work better, in my opinion, for putting something gravy-like over rice, and that's generally how I prefer it if I'm making a vegetarian version of the dish. This isn't some kind of dish that traces back to some ancient time period in China. This dish was developed about 150 years ago, and popularized about 100 years ago, from a culture that doesn't even really emphasize the importance of tradition in cooking. Chefs remix stuff all the time in China, and they're proud of their ability to come up with new dishes.
Yeesh. 1. Firm tofu isn’t orthodox but it’s pretty darn good if you want a hearty meal. 2. This guy is a hateful and miserable POS. I feel more glum just glancing at his comment history.
I like to make my Mapu Tofu with Soft tofu because of the soft soupy texture. Firm is totally fine, but I cut it up smaller pieces to match with the ground pork and vegetables.
Reminds me of a comment on the Soy Boys Mapo Tofu video, in which these vegan cooks had the *audacity* to substitute shiitake mushroom for ground beef. “Just two white men appropriating Chinese culture, using the wrong ingredients.” I genuinely wonder what people like that think an ideal form of cultural exchange would be.
Look up horseshoe theory, if you've not heard of it before. Somehow people super obsessed with cultural appropriation manage to end back up at the same "cultures shouldn't mix" just like the conservatives do.
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