Mapo Tofu

Tofu was (and still is) a staple in our house as I was growing up, even before it joined the ranks of the hip and happening vegan superstar diets currently in vogue. It was my grandmother's main ingredient in a lot of the food that she so lovingly prepared, it is food that my mom regulary eats, and it has been my favorite food eversince I can remember. Now that I have started my own family, it is food that I enjoy preparing, in so many ways, as my grandmother and mother have taught me. I don't have any preference on how it's prepared. I can eat it deepfried covered with sesame seeds and breadcrumbs, steamed with vegetables with oyster sauce, or in the form of fried stinky tofu (rotted tofu hence the name) with lots of chilli. One of the ways I remember it being served in our house is mapo tofu. With steamed rice, this is the chinese comfort food. On days when there are too many ingredients but too little to make any one dish out of each of them, they are all cooked together with tofu and chilli to make this amazing meal. If you haven't had it yet, don't let the fact that leftovers are used for this dish dissuade you. I can't describe the taste in one word, as the taste comes from the blend of different flavors from the ingredients, the sweetness from the tofu, and finally the spice from the chilli. It is something that cheered me up as I got home from school, my bag packed with tons of homework, now it is something that welcomes my husband as he comes home from a tiring day at work. A meal to warm you up during the cold winter night, paired with steamed rice, it is comfort food at its best.