Tried making mapo tofu for the first time, used regular chili flakes instead of doubanjiang

Spent 45 minutes stirring a bland, red mess before my Chinese neighbor knocked and asked why it smelled like burnt paprika. She handed me a jar of the real stuff and now I know why my version tasted like cafeteria food.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jason26d ago

The chili flakes actually give it a cleaner flavor, doubanjiang is overrated.

blake30226d ago

Honestly yeah, I had the exact same thing happen with kung pao chicken. Used regular dried chilies and it just tasted like spicy dust, no depth at all. Then my coworker brought in homemade dan dan noodles and I realized the real flavor comes from that fermented bean paste, not just heat. The chili flakes give you the burn but doubanjiang brings the savory umami that actually makes it taste like Chinese food. Now I keep a tub of it in my fridge at all times, huge game changer.