Ma Po Tofu

Oh yeah, ma po tofu. Sprinkled with the infamous banned Szechuan Peppercorns, toasted and ground. This is only the second, of many, ma po recipes that I have that actually lists szechuan peppercorns as an ingredient and it comes from Land of Plenty. This fabulous cookbook was a gift my Joe's sister, who lives in England and frequently gives us UK-published cookbooks. This one happens to also be available in the US. The wonderful thing about newer Chinese cookbooks is that because it's so much easier to find authentic ingredients, cookbook authors aren't afraid to require them and the recipes, as a result, are so much more authentic. The odd thing is, Szechuan peppercorns, a key ingredient in Szechuan cooking, were banned in the US in May 2002, a year before this cookbook made its US debut. Lucky me, I still have some. They give Szechuan dishes a distinctive and unique flavor that can't be duplicated with other ingredients.

The manager of the Chinese grocery store we shop at told us that the ban had to do with too much szechuan peppercorns adversely affecting the nervous system. Okay, that's not how he said it, but I think that's what he meant. It sounded somewhat unreal, but health departments have been known to ban foods and preparation processes for less good reasons. A quick Internet search shows that Szechuan peppercorns were banned because they carry a citrus canker, which could devastate the Florida and California citrus crops. Well, okay. But I live in Michigan. I want my peppercorns.