HUNGRY GERALD

Ma Po Tofu is HG’s favorite dish—it surpasses all French, Italian, Indian, Jewish, etc. faves of HG.  Cooked in a wok, Ma Po  Tofu is a lush stew of ground pork, silken tofu, stock. It is a Sichuan dish packing plenty of mouth-burning heat. Prepared by Sichuan cooks, it incorporates many Sichuan peppercorns and Doubanjiang (a super fiery condiment). BSK makes a much less flaming version–it’s spicy and delicious—and HG enjoyed it last night. Usually, Ma Po Tofu is served with a bowl of rice but HG/BSK opt for buckwheat noodles (the best are Japanese). HG/BSK had a wonderful loft in Vancouver, BC, for a number of years. A short walk from their condo building was a large bustling restaurant–Congee Noodle House. It was there that HG read the New York Times while enjoying the ultimate brunch. It started with congee (rice porridge). Then, rice wraps enclosing juicy shrimp. One day, HG scanned the menu and saw “Spicy minced meat pork and bean curd”—-looked promising—-so HG ordered it. Soon, a large metal cauldron and a  small bowl of rice came to the table. The top of the cauldron was lifted and there was lush, steaming Ma Po Tofu, a lifelong culinary love (it was only later that HG learned the dish was called Ma Po Tofu). After HG sold the Vancouver loft, HG learned that Congee Noodle House had closed: Shifting earth had damaged the restaurant’s foundation, making the location precarious. Happily, after years of insurance wrangling, all has been repaired and the eatery is open and thriving.