"I have the sauce, now what?" — Vilina

"Oh that's so simple—all you do is add some shredded pork, scallion, and..."

"I've already made it, you told me how to make it two years ago."

"Then why are you asking me?"

"Just to make sure I'm not forgetting anything."

"Well, all you do is add some shredded pork or chicken, scallion..." and she starts all over again, as if the last conversation never happened.

Mama Li loves to repeat herself—it's part of the quirky personality that came about when she immigrated to the U.S. Her English comes with a heavy accent, so she's had to repeat herself many times over. But also, on her first flight over 30-something years ago, the only thing she knew how to say was "orange juice." At 28, she learned a new language all on her own, beating all those statistics working against her.

As a kid I felt ashamed and embarrassed of her accent, not appreciating or understanding Mom's struggle and the impressive feat of overcoming it, because guys, I took five years of Spanish and can't manage much more than "hola, como estas?" And so when she repeats herself, I try to tame my exasperation and instead nod along. 

"Okay, so I don't have shredded pork, can I use beef? I do have scallion." 

"Yes, yes that's fine. It's a really simple dish, so quick and easy—do you have the hot bean sauce?"

"Mom, I just said that I did."

And so we continue back and forth a while longer as I figure out how to make ma po tofu, which is actually a Sichuan dish, one of the very few that we make at home. It's great because it's vegan-friendly (we like adding the meat and the oyster sauce) but packed with fiery chili spices in a fermented, bean-based sauce called doubanjiang. Just make sure you sprinkle a healthy handful of scallion over the dish at the end—the bite of the allium really brings out the chili flavor. 

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS (FOR 2)

*You can sub in ground pork, turkey, or chicken.

PREPARE

1. Add 1/2 tbsp soy sauce and 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce to the ground beef. Let marinate for 15 minutes.

2. Bring a pot of water to boil and poach the tofu. Drain and set aside.

3. Chop scallion and mince garlic. Set aside.

COOK

1. Heat oil in a skillet and toss in garlic to cook until aromatic, then break up the beef and scatter evenly into the pan.

2. After about three minutes, or when beef is no longer pink, add hot bean sauce, soy sauce, and oyster sauce.

3. Stir well until it starts to bubble, then mix in the tofu and cover pan to cook for three minutes.  

4. Uncover pan and continue stirring for another five minutes. Turn off stove and stir in scallion, leaving a handful to top off the dish.

EAT

Scoop into a bowl and toss in scallion. Serve with a side of rice.