Recipe No 572 component Original 2007 Adapted 2015

Ma Po Tofu fluid gel

This fluid gel recipe started with Grant Achatz and was adapted by the team at The Cooking Lab for Modernist Cuisine as ‘Umami seasoning fluid gel’ (volume 4, page 183).

Our adaptation here was borne from a desire to intensify the flavours in our standard Ma Po Tofu. We found ourselves writing long notes to accompany the recipe—how to create a thick and flavoursome liquid to combine with the ground meat which forms the base of the dish.

The basis of this recipe is simply a flavoursome, umami-rich gel stock which can be used for other purposes.

Inspired by Grant Achatz and adapted from Modernist Cuisine

Time

Prep:

Total:

Difficulty
easy
Yield
300 g
Metric Imperial

Processes

  • Stock (⅔ cup + 2 tbsp)
    200 g
  • Tomato ketchup (4 tsp)
    20 g
  • Honey (1 tbsp)
    15 g
  • Fish sauce (2 tsp)
    10 g
  • Sherry vinegar (1 tsp)
    5 g
  1. 01
    Combine and blend.

  • Agar
    0.75 g
  1. 02
    Disperse into cold mixture .
  2. 03
    Bring mixture to at least 95°C / 203°F and hold for to fully hydrate.
  3. 04
    (Optional) Transfer to jug of a blender and blend for .
  4. 05
    Transfer to a wide and shallow mold.
  5. 06
    Refrigerate until set, at least .
  6. 07
    Cut gel into cubes.
  7. 08
    Transfer to blender.

  • Fermented bean paste (doubanjiang) (2 tbsp)
    30 g
  • Dark soy sauce (2 tsp)
    10 g
  • Light soy sauce (2 tsp)
    10 g
  1. 09
    Add to blender and purée until very smooth.
  2. 10
    (Optional) Pass through a fine sieve.

Notes

Make sure you start with a flavourful stock, preferably one that is already intense enough to gel in the fridge. If your stock is still completely liquid when frozen, reduce it until it forms a gel in the fridge. You can test this by taking a small amount of liquid (15 g or 1 tbs) and placing it in a shallow bowl in the fridge. It should chill quickly. If it forms a light gel, you can stop reducing. Weigh out the amount required for the recipe after reducing.

The optional blending process was discovered at Stella Culinary. We haven’t tried it yet. We will report on this when we get the chance.

The real setting time in step 06 will depend on the depth of the liquid. A shallower liquid, achieved by using a wide, flat vessel, will result in faster setting times.

Food pairings

Ma Po Tofu

Categorisation

Category
component fluid gel
Meal
component
Cuisine
international
Diet
omnivorous
Tags
agar fluid gel mapo tofu umami