/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>16863346
>Because their meats would rot quicker in the heat so the spices disguised it. true fact.
That's a myth. Spices are used because they taste good, simple as.

>>14707360
Mapo Tofu has to be one of my favorite dishes. It has a very complex taste, full of umami and is tastefully spicy without being hot.

I did fuck it up the first time making it when I used a cheaper brand of doubanjiang that was very salty and using too much of a cube for my chicken stock.

I've had good results with using 1.5 to 2 tablespoons (for 1 person, also smoothed and leveled, mind you) of pic related (Juan-Cheng) and just using regular water for the sauce. A good stock in this dish has to be entirely unsalted because of the inherent saltiness of the doubanjiang. I'm thinking of making a chicken stock from scratch for as much taste as possible without the salinity.

As for spicyness I'd argue that 0.75 to 1 tablespoon of dried chili flakes is generally recommended for most people. Even with my preference of 2 tablespoons I'd argue that the salty and umami taste of the doubanjiang with the numbingness of the szechuan peppers are definitely the prevailing tastes in the dish.