“So much of Japanese culture has direct, traceable roots in China: Everything from religion and orthography, to tea bowls and noodles. And despite the political issues between the two countries, there’s still a lot of positive cultural exchange between them. One of the more interesting examples of this is ramen, a dish that in Japan many still consider Chinese, but that can now be found all over China, sold as a distinctly Japanese dish,” explains 2011 MasterChef champ and restaurateur, Tim Anderson.
“Even more complex is the recent trend of ‘mapo ramen’ in Tokyo: A combination of a traditional Chinese dish (mapo tofu) with a Japanese version of a Chinese dish (ramen), the result of which is very Chinese in terms of flavour, but that wouldn’t be found in China. It’s a kind of culinary orphan, neither Japanese nor Chinese but also kind of both. But then again, who cares? It’s really delicious and that’s all that matters.”
Mapo ramen – sichuan spiced tofu noodles
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Slotted spoon
- Frying pan
- Pot
Ingredients
- 700 g silken tofu firm or extra firm
- water
- big pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp Sichuan pepper
- 4 dried red Chinese chillies
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 anchovy fillets (optional)
- 1 bird’s eye chilli (or more, to taste), finely sliced
- 4 garlic cloves finely sliced
- 15 g piece of ginger root peeled and finely shredded
- 300 g minced pork
- 1 tbsp preserved black beans
- 80 g doubanjiang (black bean sauce)
- 1.5 tbsp caster sugar
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1.5 tbsp cornflour mixed to a paste with a little water
- worcestershire sauce and/or soy sauce, to taste
- 4 portions thick ramen noodles
For the garnish
- small handful of coriander roughly torn
- sesame seeds toasted until deep golden brown
- plenty of sansho pepper
Method
- Cut the tofu into 2.5-cm (1-in) cubes and bring a pan of water to a low simmer along with the salt. Carefully add the tofu to the salted water and poach for 10 minutes.
- Remove gently with a slotted spoon. Toast the Sichuan pepper and dried chillies in a dry frying pan until aromatic and beginning to colour, then leave to cool and grind to a coarse powder.
- Add the oil to the pan and place over a high heat, then add the anchovies, if using, and the bird’s eye chilli. Fry for a minute or two, then add the garlic, ginger and pork and fry until the pork is browned. Add the black beans, doubanjiang, sugar and the ground Sichuan pepper and chillies. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often, so the flavours meld.
- Add the chicken stock and sesame oil and bring to the boil, then stir in some (not all) of the cornflour-water mixture. Let the sauce boil for a few minutes to thicken, stirring continuously; add more cornflour slurry if you want it thicker (it should be quite thick so it clings well to the noodles). Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with Worcestershire and/or soy sauces. Gently stir in the tofu, using a pushing motion with the back of your spatula and shaking the pan to coat the tofu without breaking it up.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and cook the noodles until al dente. Drain well, then transfer to four bowls. Top with the hot tofu mixture and garnish with the coriander, sesame seeds and sansho.
Nutrition
Tokyo Stories: A Japanese Cookbook by Tim Anderson, photography by Nassima Rothacker, is published by Hardie Grant.
Read more – Tim Anderson’s new cookbook takes vegan approach to Japanese food.
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