Chili Tofu Rice: A Lunchtime Integration Initiative

Tofu rice! Douhuafan is practically a lifestyle in south Sichuan, but it's one of those things that's a bit hard to translate to a recipe, as usually it's prepared in restaurants.
0:00 - How to Translate a Recipe?
0:27 - The Culture of Douhua Rice in Sichuan
1:13 - Making an 'able-to-lunch' Tofu Rice
1:36 - Workday Preparation Strategy
3:32 - Toasted Chili Dip with Celery
7:03 - Crispy Chili Bean Paste Dip with Lotus Root
10:45 - Chili Black Bean Dip with Broccoli
12:45 - Other Douhua styles & How to Eat
(Bumping into the description box character limit, notes relating to product sourcing will be in the pinned comment below)
PREPARATION OF THE TOFU
* One block of soft - or medium - tofu (嫩豆腐), ~300g
* Salt, 1 tsp
* Hot, boiled water
* (Optional) bean sprouts
* Enough rice to fill you up
Option #1: Twenty minutes before lunch, dissolve the salt in with the hot boiled water and fill it up over your tofu. Let it soak for twenty minutes, then dip out the water, and refill with hot, boiled water (optionally placing the tofu on a bed of sprouts first).
Option #2: There's not much of an upper limit to the salt water soak. You could also do the salt water soak in the morning, and pack the tofu together with the brine. Dip out the water when you're ready to eat it, and refill with hot, boiled water (optionally placing the tofu on a bed of sprouts first).
DIP/VEGETABLE #1: TOASTED CHILI OIL (PLUS CELERY)
Dip:
* Toasted chili oil (see below) or Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp, 1 tbsp; Soy sauce (生抽), 1 tbsp; salt, 1/8 tsp; MSG (味精), 1/4 tsp; Sichuan Peppercorn Powder (花椒面), 1/4 tsp; toasted sesame seeds (熟芝麻), 1/4 tsp; chopped cilantro, ~1 tbsp
Mix together right before you're ready to eat.
Vegetable:
* Cooked celery, ~200g
* Seasoning: Toasted chili oil (see below) or Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp, 1 tbsp; Soy sauce (生抽), 1/2 tbsp; Dark Chinese Vinegar (陈醋/香醋) or rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp; salt, 1/8 tsp; sugar, 1/2 tsp; MSG (味精), 1/4 tsp; toasted sesame oil (麻油), ~1/4 tsp
To prep the celery, first peel the ribs. Slice the ribs in half, then chop into ~1.5 inch pieces. Blanch for ~30 seconds, then rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process.
Add all the seasoning to a mason jar and nestle ~200g worth of the celery in. Shake when you're ready to eat.
Toasted chili oil:
* Dried chilis, 50g (we used Sichuan erjingtiao, 二荆条)
* Oil, 150g (or 3/4 of a cup). We used Caiziyou (Chinese rapeseed oil), but you can also use Indian mustard seed oil or peanut oil
* Aromatics for the oil: Ginger, ~1 inch, smashed; Onion (洋葱), ~1/4 of an onion, sliced
* Spices for the oil (optional but recommended): Cinnamon (桂皮), ½ stick; Star Anise (八角), 1; Fennel Seed (小茴香), ¼ tsp
(Refer to 3:37 in the video for the process)
DIP/VEGETABLE #2: CRISPY CHILI BEAN PASTE (PLUS LOTUS ROOT)
Dip:
* Crispy chili bean paste (see below), 1.5 tbsp; Soy sauce (生抽), 1 tbsp; Sugar, 1/4 tsp; MSG (味精), 1/8 tsp; Garlic, 1 clove, minced; Toasted - or roasted - peanuts, 6, crushed; Chopped scallion, ~1/2 tbsp
Vegetable:
* Cooked lotus root, ~200g
* Seasoning: Crispy chili bean paste (see below), 1/2 tbsp; Soy sauce (生抽), 1/2 tbsp; Sugar, 1/2 tsp; MSG (味精), 1/8 tsp; White pepper powder (白胡椒粉), 1/8 tsp; Toasted sesame oil, 1/4 tsp; Chopped scallion, ~1 tbsp
Peel the lotus root and slice into ~1cm sticks. Rinse thoroughly, and soak the lotus root in water until you're ready to blanch, much like you were prepping potato.
Blanch the lotus root until cooked, ~3 minutes. Strain, rinse. Add the seasoning to your mason jar, and nestle the lotus root on top.
Crispy Chili Bean Paste:
* Red oil Chili bean paste, 6 tbsp
* Oil, 150g (or 3/4 of a cup). We used Caiziyou (Chinese rapeseed oil), but you can also use Indian mustard seed oil or peanut oil
* Aromatics for the oil: Ginger, ~1 inch, smashed; Onion (洋葱), ~1/4 of an onion, sliced; Scallion, white part only, 2; Cilantro, 2 sprigs; celery, 2 ribs
* Spices for the oil (optional but recommended): Cinnamon (桂皮), ½ stick; Star Anise (八角), 1; Fennel Seed (小茴香), ¼ tsp
(Please refer to 7:57 in the video for the Crispy Chili Bean paste process)
DIP/VEGETABLE #3: CHILI BLACK BEAN
Dip:
* Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil with Black Bean, 1 tbsp; Soy sauce (生抽), 1 tsp; salt, 1/4 tsp; MSG (味精), 1/8 tsp; Sichuan Peppercorn Powder (花椒面), 1/2 tsp; Toasted chili flakes or Thai Prik Bon, 1/2 tbsp or mix of 1 tsp chili flakes & 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; Chopped scallion, ~1/2 tbsp
Vegetable:
* Cooked broccoli, 200g
* Seasoning: Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil with Black Bean, 1 tbsp; Soy sauce (生抽), 1 tsp; salt, 1/4 tsp; MSG (味精), 1/8 tsp; Sichuan Peppercorn Powder (花椒面), 1/2 tsp
Blanch the broccoli for 1 minute, and combine in the same manner as above.
_______________
Footage of the Guizhou douhua restaurant is here, nice channel and great restaurant:
• 贵州10元随便吃的大锅豆花饭，又滑又嫩，本地...
Outro Music: คิดถึงคุณจัง by ธานินทร์ อินทรเทพ
Found via My Analog Journal (great channel): • Live Stream: Favourite...

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Hey guys, a few notes: 1. I usually try to have some sourcing notes inside the description box recipe, but unfortunately I was hitting the character limit there. MSG is available at most supermarkets under the brand name “Accent”. The Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp that we used in the first recipe is this one: bit.ly/3g85Mx1 and the Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil with Black Bean is this one: bit.ly/3HuWhEp . For the red oil chili bean paste, this is the product we’re referring to: bit.ly/3rdwB9v . Specific products that we link here have a tendency to sell out at times - all of these products are also available on Amazon and at the Mala Market. For the Thai Prik Bon, this was available on Amazon: amzn.to/3rbYheK If you’re ok with an extra spicy toasted chili oil, you could also simply use this product to make the Toasted Chili Oil dip from the first recipe. 2. So really, as Steph said in the outro, there’s basically as many douhua dipping sauces as there are douhua restaurants. That said, the three dipping sauces that we made here would be more on the simpler end of the spectrum - for more complex versions, do check out our older video for a Luzhou style as well as Wang Gang’s for a Fushun style. 3. You can do the salt water soak twenty minutes before eating, or you could alternatively start the salt water soak in the morning and leave it soaking until lunchtime - there’s not *too* much of an upper limit there (24 hours, perhaps?). We were split on which way to show in the video. 4. The purpose of adding more hot water in right before eating was to heat up the tofu. At douhua restaurants in Sichuan, the douhua is steaming hot when you get it. With the extra hot water, the tofu will at least be warm. You *can* also nuke tofu, but it has a tendency to get a bit crumbly - just don’t push it. 5. When you’re toasting your chili flakes for the toasted chili oil, the exact timing will depend on how fresh your dried chilis are. If your chilis have been sitting around the supply chain for god knows how long… don’t push it, as you can easily scorch the chilis. While more deeply toasted chilis are definitely a bit more fragrant, making sure that they’re brittle enough to pound is the more critical bit. I’m about to Zoom with my parents, so the notes’ve gotta stop here for now. I’ll edit some more in later. We’re driving over to Steph’s parent’s place in Zhaoqing for Spring Festival today, so apologies if I’m slow in editing more notes in/slow to get back to you guys :) Happy Spring Festival!

[@LightoftheMoon]

Thanks vm for the detailed explanation / information that you provided! 💯 👍🙂

[@AerysBat]

What do you think of removing celery strings like this? The key for doing it this way is to go both directions. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKSaq2Whjrdjbqc

[@Max-se3ii]

Eat chili more tofu

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

@@AerysBat Ha, however you want to crack that nut! For us, peeling it is simply easier.

[@mizomint4197]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified your dog is adorable... 🥺

[@fartalone3142]

EAT CHILLY MORE TOFU - Chinese Cooking Demystified 2022

[@oscarruorochmolinacansino5907]

That's exactly how I read it. 😂😂

[@TheSilverRaven13]

Yup, that's how I read it too 🤣

[@UsenameTakenWasTaken]

Same, lol

[@Bernd01]

EAT CHILLY, more tofu

[@BlameItOnJoe]

I only clicked on the video to look for this comment lol

[@potgee]

This "Lunchtime Integration Initiative" should be a series of sort. Classic Chinese lunches that can be easily done on your kitchen or workplace.

[@eugeneliang4470]

Yes I would love that. It would give the essence of Chinese quick home meals

[@spuckuk7039]

totally, it's a great idea!

[@tabathapoelstra]

This would be amazing!

[@rorysparshott4223]

Absolutely great idea

[@youngjackfruit]

Yes please!

[@AianaRaven]

EAT CHILI MORE TOFU!

[@carlcouture1023]

You misunderstood the assignment but still completed it correctly.

[@NeonSonOfXenon]

sasa lele

[@andrewstewart1464]

don't dead open inside

[@Ninjalectual]

Pls send tofu need more

[@alexmcd378]

Despite not the most like, KZbin knew which comment had to be on top 😊

[@atatdotdot]

"Capsicum annum var. cheapus whateverus" LOL. Welcome to the UK.

[@Bernd01]

A small note: Something not mentioned in the video that I just found out while trying this recipe. If you sub the LaoGanMa instead making your own, (like me) you don’t need to add any salt or msg. There is already plenty in the jarred stuff, so between that and the soy sauce there’s plenty there. I made the sauce a second time with no added msg or salt, and a large tblspoon of LaoGanMa and it was plenty seasoned. This receptor was delicious. Super simple, and a great excuse to eat some tofu and vegetables.

[@TheWrekker]

I will second this. My first go at the recipe using the Lao Gan Ma with black bean was very salty. I'll be scaling it back for round 2.

[@darling1045]

Oh thanks for pointing that out! I usually add some salt/msg to my chili crisp

[@annagbn]

I love this way of doing recipes, simplified and altered but explaining why and how, and how simplifying in this case can be truer to the context in which the dish is eaten. So interesting and practical but not obscuring the original ways of doing it. Brilliant. Hope you do more in this kind of format (and I love that this is vegan-friendly) and will look through your previous videos to see if I can find more like this. Thank you!

[@CrisisRoss]

"EAT CHILI MORE TOFU"

[@deadfr0g]

11:04 “You see, for the unaware-” I LEARNED IT BY WATCHING YOU, DAD.

[@defeatSpace]

Take a break if you need to, your current archive is phenomenal.

[@marystestkitchen]

This is one time I don't mind doing what the thumbnails says with no questions asked

[@luuk6741]

Eat chili more tofu?

[@marystestkitchen]

@@luuk6741 or eat more chili tofu. Either or sounds good to me :-)

[@mjstecyk]

vegan gang assemble!

[@frankchen4229]

@@mjstecyk vegang

[@jcg7672]

Finally one for the vegans 😁

[@Kayume]

It's been a few months now since this video, and I can say with certainty that it has changed my approach to quick meals/lunches pretty much completely. At least for me, the initiative was a huge success.

[@katielee6389]

I fell asleep while watching this video late at night, had a dream I was eating douhuafan, and then when I woke up I was very sad it wasn't actually the case. Needless to say, I will be making the tofu and veggie sides for lunch at least a few times this week! :)

[@LadyHawke78]

I get anxiety if I don’t have at least two jars of Laoganma chili oil in my pantry/fridge at all times. It’s probably my favorite condiment of all time - despite having made my own chili oil before.

[@asherbeal8357]

I thought the same thing and bought some today.

[@LBellatrix]

I only recently graduated to the 700g jar…but I still only have one in the house. Since I use it pretty much every day…I’m either going to have to stock up or learn to make my own. 😆

[@asherbeal8357]

@@LBellatrix I only buy the big jars 🤫 Have you tried all the varieties yet? I just discovered a new one, Tomato Chili Sauce (tomato, garlic, msg, salt, sugar).

[@LBellatrix]

@@asherbeal8357 I'm still luxuriating in the glorious original. 🤣🤣 My body's not ready for the others yet!

[@arthas640]

Same, but I also love thai Nam Phrik (50/50 mix of fish sauce and lime juice plus diced thai chilies, garlic, and cilantro). I add one of those 2 to at least 1 meal a day, the Nam Phrik works best with foods that are already greasy or oily (the acid helps countrt balance it) and fish

[@eerenay]

After you published your sichuan tofu rice recipe, I started basically doing this! I wasn't ever going to make my own tofu, so I started just pouring chili oil over microwaved packaged tofu and eating it over rice!

[@stefimandi186]

I think the world needs more of these lunch box style recipes. Thank you!

[@meganalexandra6604]

I couldn't agree more. Not to get too into it but, I think this style of cooking+eating is so much more reflective of peoples realities: their work day, their living situation, their resources, and the reality that we all need and deserve to eat well during the day. We don't have these types of quick lunch stalls to stop at, sadly, but invoking that spirit through a little quick prep is a perfect alternative for home.

[@stefimandi186]

@@meganalexandra6604 so true. Where I live, the easy to access lunch places are terrible both at work and at school. Plenty deep fried dish, tasteless, overcooked vegetable on the minimum, if there is any at all. Mushy pasta, too much salt to balance out the lack of taste. I had to learn to box my lunch and I am always happy to learn simply but delicious, box-friendly recipes.

[@arghail0]

As a spaniard, I was so happy about substituting the toasted chilly flakes for smoked paprika and normal chilly flakes! Mainly because last week I was attempting a version of your crispy chhilly recipe and thought "maybe smoked paprika helps me here". Nice!!

[@dereklindman6914]

Honestly, just a simple thank you for sharing your passion, knowledge, and truly "demystifying" a cuisine as complex and as rich as the ones found in China.

[@ericacarson4846]

I don't know if you all still take requests from youtube comments, but I'd love to see more vegetable dishes -- not necessarily vegetarian, but vegetable-based for sure! And I'd be really remiss if I didn't say this, so thanks, Steph & Chris, for 5 (wow, it's been this long) years of really good recipes & educational videos.

[@bdellovibrioo5242]

I like the conceit of showing the preparation of the dish in an office setting, given that you're not merely stepping thru a recipe, but more giving us an idea for a genre of lunch food.

[@nenben8759]

Concept?

[@LightoftheMoon]

see video description box 👀😜

[@mingrui1862]

Damn it man! Give that dog some; he's dying! I'm salivating myself! Too cute, as always thank you for your top grade videos🥰 Happy Chinese New Year!

[@meowmeowm30w]

"eat more chili tofu" Also me: "EAT CHILI MORE TOFU"

[@TELECAMPER]

I got into cooking when i was 9/10 years old because of i fell in love with “chinese” restaurant food here in italy (seams strange right?) and now i am discovering so much about the whole cousine…thank you guys !!!

[@Jumpoable]

LOL what's Chinese Italian food like?

[@tdb517]

@@Jumpoable Mapo Tofu Pizza

[@firewulfi]

Thanks, will definately try that out since I've got a lot of that Chilli-Bean-Paste :) The dog is adorable, waiting in the back like "what about me? give me food and attention"

[@LaLoutreDanoise]

Really appreciate the amount of work you guys are doing, with explaining in detail why you do each step, substitutions, and even what experience you're trying to translate. Didn't realize this was for a quick lunch too, such a nice idea! Thank you so much! You've introduced me to so much dishes already. Can't wait to try this :)

[@sunflowersharpie]

I only clicked on this video to make sure I wasn't the only one to read "Eat chili more tofu"

[@thikkylongbottom905]

I’ve never seen someone peel celery. I’m amazed

[@autumnmontoya221]

Definitely a game changer for me. I really like the flavor of celery but I don’t like the strings. Idk why I never thought of peeling it. So smart!!

[@Jumpoable]

@@autumnmontoya221 Chinese ppl have never thought of NOT peeling celery. White people so lazy!! LOL

[@sophievanderbilt1325]

I have soft tofu in my fridge as well as some of the chili bean pastes you’re mentioning here! Looks like lunch for the week is set. Thank you so so so much for explaining everything so clearly and honestly. I love your channel!

[@fiftyclown]

Ur videos are so intricate and calculated it's truly lovely to see this effort

[@maynardlim7812]

CCD is honestly the best cooking show on the internet.

[@Space_Chief]

I'm a stupid caveman when it comes to cooking, so I was overjoyed when you told me to sub out homemade oil for Lao Gan Ma. Absolutely adore the stuff.

[@LadyHawke78]

Right? I’m seriously obsessed with the stuff even though I’ve made my own chili oil before.

[@TheWhiteDragon3]

It was a great touch adding the sounds of what the crispy chili bean paste should sound like. 👍 If you don't mind, do consider doing that more often; it's sometimes beneficial for us at home to have an idea of what the food should sound like when it isn't clear just by looking at things whether it's burning or not.

[@juju-been]

I think this is legitimately one of your best videos

[@jamescanjuggle]

nice! plenty of inspiration in this video. My usual go to was just a basic chilli oil like Lee Kum Kee, microwave rice and some protein, but while my methods are super quick, youve shown me i could be putting 20 mins of work during the week to really one up my current lunches xD

[@GlacierCow]

I can't believe the perfect timing on this. I was just watching the douhafan video and lamenting how difficult it seemed to make for lunch, and lo and behold you come out with this one. A word of warning: BE VERY CAREFUL if you want to blitz a bunch of dried chilis in a food processor. The last time I did this for your chili oil recipe I literally had to evacuate the apartment from the fumes. I'm not talking about fumes like "oh it smells really spicy and my eyes water a bit", I'm talking "I've been tear gassed before and this was roughly as bad as that". BE CAREFUL. Use a mortar and pestle, or at the very least maybe there's a way to do this without causing a HAZMAT biohazard, but just "put a few handfuls of wok-toasted arbols in the food processor" is a recipe for disaster.

[@brokenglassshimmerlikestar3407]

Maybe a coffee grinder is better for this job. I made chili powder with my coffee grinder before, it's well sealed, just be careful when you open it up to get the chili powder. Definitely avoid a tool that isn't sealed...

[@smartperson1]

I just got all of the ingredients today, and I prepped to have version #3 tomorrow for wfh lunch. I had a little taste of the Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil with Black Bean and wow that stuff is *delicious*. This is a totally new kind of food to me, and I am very excited to have a different kind of lunch tomorrow. This weekend I'll work on preparing some chili oil so I can try the other recipes, too.

[@jonisasaki]

The uncle in blue at the beginning is vibing

[@seamslatasha3598]

Excellent. This is such a simple and light lunch full of protein and flavour. Thanks for an excellent video how-to!

[@coltranem]

I don't think I ever do the from scratch version but thus has definitely peaked my interest. Thanks Chris and Steph

[@madelineoctober]

More of this please! Just made this for dinner and loved it. Looking forward to lunch tomorrow 😋

[@gcal8263]

The vlookup on the word doc list sent me back to trauma I didn't know I had

[@matthewarroyo8833]

Made for an awesome lunch, thank you so much for sharing the beauty of Chinese cooking!

[@xdarkeagle17x]

This has become one of my go-to weeknight meals when I don't really feel like cooking. I love experimenting with different chili crisps/sauces to make the best dipping sauce & veggie pairings. I like it best with medium firmness tofu, but I've also made it with firm and even extra-firm when that's all I have on hand, and it's still delicious.

[@markswayne6326]

Fantastic video. I loved the added context and shortcuts.

[@dhruvikhandelwal4524]

I just made this and it’s soooo goooodddd, thank you for the amazing recipe ideas!!

[@whatsername465]

I made this last night and it was SO GOOD, definetly adding this to my regular rotation!

[@dinnerforonelilycooking4356]

Would you like to try other tofu recipes? If you're interesting in them ,below tofu recipes for your reference. wakame tofu soup recipes:kzbin.info/www/bejne/gITGdYFqqZqGibc protein vegan soup白菜豆腐煲: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKKcoHiFhd1-l9E

[@xcatshirx]

Made this for lunch every day this week-still absolutely delicious every time!

[@tealbeal393]

This guy is the DEFINITION of a good youtuber... and yetI can't shake the speech similarities with ben shapiro, to the point where it actually affects my viewing experience. Not sure if my weird bias is to blame or if it's just age we live in, but either way my appreciation of someone's pure passion for a subject is being affected by a vague comparison. *disclaimer: I am not sober, my sincerest apologies if this is incoherent*.

[@laramunoz1609]

I find his speaking very very similar to another youtuber specialist in chemestry. His youtube channel is Nilered. Check him out, maybe it helps you to shake off the similarities to Ben Shapiro, and you can start assimilating it to Nilered? I hope this helps you!

[@WanderTheNomad]

@@laramunoz1609 The three of them do sound similar, but not to the point of me associating one or the other with each other when listening to them. Their content also helps to differentiate them a lot.

[@lilye7487]

So good even the dog loves it!

[@Zacky703]

My favourite video you guys have made to date, wondering if there is a typical Chinese meal for the tradesman eg carpenter, brick layer, landscaper, who usually doesn’t have access to even electricity?

[@thestrangegreenman]

Since I'm under the impression that eating out in China is more 'normal' and less of a 'treat' (see the episode on breakfast in China), my guess is that they'd hit up a street-food stand. That said, if there is a classic Chinese box lunch, I'd love to learn about it too!

[@user-el5jg3wo9b]

@@thestrangegreenman yes it’s pretty much so, there’re a lot of places selling only lunch boxes in China, mostly near construction sites and hospitals, they’re also really cheap. Roughly 2 to 3 dollars you can get a decent portion meal, I remembered this from about 4 years ago.

[@Jumpoable]

It's the sad fact, really, that MOST of "3rd world" SE Asia & China's working class eats WAY better, nutrition-wise as well as taste-wise, than the working class of the "1st world" cursed with fast "food".

[@calvyncraven1141]

@@Jumpoable thats true.

[@AnotherGalad]

That dog was gaming at the end

[@MotoM0nk]

Great video thank you so much! I’ve tried adding fermented bamboo shoots to LGM black bean chilli sauce - it goes so well! I’m sure also with tofu.

[@ThePerfectCurry]

That chili oil looks so good. Tofu dipping in chili oil . Oh so satisfying

[@noah_56]

I honestly never thought that tofu could taste could until I saw this vid. I'll definitely have to give it a try now!

[@UhlanPasta]

This office space CCD series (hopefully) is already being practiced on in my office.. On a unrelated note, the description about the fermented bean paste is the kind of "micro knowledge"that's really valuable. To know the precise attributes of a condiment/ingredient require exposure to either the language or very spotted content. I've seen a lot of people flaunder because they used the wrong bean paste/chilli/etc. This is the true value of CCD imo!

[@shaynegryn]

Seeing VLOOKUP on the screen is giving me flashbacks. Love your channel!

[@adda89]

that dog at the end of the video is basically how I'm feeling after watching this video with a fairly empty pantry. off to the shops!

[@haileybalmer9722]

I'm going to use Sichuan chili oil, because I make a huge jar of it every month or two. I just learned from another channel that you can bloom your chili flakes and spices in a little bit of hot water before you pour the oil over, and it really helps the fruity notes in the flakes blossom!

[@NeverMind353]

I really hope your chili flakes are dry after that water bath, don't want the hot oil to splatter

[@Homeside301]

@@NeverMind353 it's called being a gangster. Anyway you you can put the wet Chilli flakes into the oil with a 10 foot pole. Everyone has that in their home

[@liamtahaney713]

Pup's cuter than ever today hahaha. Really impatiently waiting for snacks

[@projectprofit28]

This looks so good! Thanks for sharing!

[@arthas640]

10:30 the Ball Mason jars are one of America's greatest contributions to the culinary world and I'll fight anyone who disagrees with me

[@DanieleRocchi]

This video changed my life

[@juliehall9252]

at the 9:00 mark, describing the chilis crisping up, i was taught to call this sound "papery"

[@jrmint2]

This sounds amazing!! Chili Tofu Rice for dinner tomorrow!

[@yunhao3444]

13:10 so cute the dog asking for food

[@urzamtg]

very smart and mindful video concept

[@rnieIIe_lr]

Ever since seeing your dou hua video I’ve been doing just this for an easy no cook lunch, in your other video you used xiang la jiang and I found a lao gan ma xiang la jiang, I don’t know if it’s the same as what you meant but I mix it with some chopped lemon grass to sub the impossible to find oil and it’s the most delicious easiest tofu dish ever

[@BriarLeaf00]

I really can't express how revolutionary a lunch regimen such as this would be for us in the US. Just the ability to consume anything but fast food as a midday meal is oftentimes difficult, particularly among working people on the clock.

[@v.syndication]

This dog lives some happy life!

[@Midaz_Mains]

Eat Chili More Tofu

[@SatanClauze]

I love this kind of video. Teaching you how to kinda-recreate delicious dishes when you're in a time crunch, which (let's face it) is almost every weekday for many of us.

[@914mla]

Would love to have a video of you two having the meal after making it :)) sort of mukbang style but not necessarily asmr, just having you enjoy the fruits of your labor and talking ❤️ Love you & your videos, have a beautiful day

[@cookingwithmimmo]

非常好的工作

[@gavinc.morrison1147]

pretty unassuming - but definitely delicious.. right on for a banger!

[@nemo5335]

just a FYI for anyone worried about MSG, it has been in common use for about 50 years now, has been exhaustively studied and there is ZERO evidence that it is harmful in any way.

[@WanderTheNomad]

I think we're already past that. At this point, I see way more comments like yours than I see about the "dangers of msg"

[@orientalmoons]

I had to laugh at "the UK's favourite chili" because it's so true. There's one kind of (vegetable) pepper which is the sweet bell pepper, possibly in different shapes and sizes but all tasting the same. Then the most prevalent chillies in supermarkets are labelled solely by colour: you can get red, green or mixed. I think they might be jalapenos. And as per the video, dried chillies are generic too. In bigger supermarkets you will find scotch bonnet and Thai bird's eye chillies, in very small packets at quite high prices. And in the posher supermarkets you may be lucky to find Mexican dried chillies at eye watering prices (that's before you open the package and touch your eyes after touching the chillies!).

[@Earthling3996]

Happy Lunar New Year!!! ;🥳🧨💥🎊🐅

[@stanja28]

This looks amazing and no meat!!

[@xaniiu]

I love the dog is like… “uhh excuse me ma’am!!”

[@danielpirone8028]

Thank you!!!

[@kamil5550]

This dish is one of the few I've learned from the internet that I've integrated to my everyday life. I have it at least once every two weeks and it's always a hit! Thank you for revisiting it

[@jack1701e]

0:15 I wish we did. The food supermarkets we got where I live, a small town near to London but in Essex, we got more in the way of middle Eastern and African food shops, while are great in their own right it isn't good when I watch these videos and want to try all the dishes xD

[@sohatyi]

I love the inflection there "mix it in with some of your...hot??? rice". Totally gave the game away 😋 Great recipes, I love it! Healthy vegan lunch options. I like doing a dish like this with the beancurd skin sticks, rehydrated, and dipping sauce.

[@blastwave1401]

This channel is great. Is a cook book on the horizon?

[@asherbeal8357]

I have been eating this practically every morning since you guys first posted this last year. 👏👏❤️👏👏 Happy Holiday! Tomorrow I am prepping a giant feast for a few friends... Two types of Dumplings, one in a clear mushroom soup with vegetables and one done pot sticker style. Cold noodles with Szechuan style toppings, long beans stir fried with sweet red pepper and pickled chilies. A big cold Fuzhu salad with lots of crisp fresh veggies, garlic, chili oil, black vinegar, sesame paste and soy sauce. Rice, pickled mustard root, and a few things I can’t recall 😂

[@nelsonbrooks]

3:52; Cheapus Whateverus… nice touch.

[@woolfel]

It's cold in new england and I would love to have sichuan style sour hot firepot. Can you do a video on it? I've had it before when I was young, but in new england there's no place that makes it.

[@craniifer]

Thanks for your videos. I have access to many excellent Chinese and Vietnamese groceries and even have done some work in a Cantonese-American restaurant for a bit, but Chinese cooking has always been a bit of an Achilles heel for me. You've really helped me improve in this area and I can now better enjoy foods like these.

[@maynardlim7812]

This is seriously some New York Times' worthy recipe.

[@hoddtoward]

I'm only watching to see your doggo

[@fakirkulsofitv1533]

Ellerinize emeklerinize yüreğinize sağlık Süper 💯💯💯💯💯💯

[@FaFTriggaVince]

I used to live near that 99 ranch that you showed at the start of your vid. That must be a very old pic you found because it hasn't been 99 ranch for a very very long time lol

[@darling1045]

For the chili black bean one, I usually have some homemade chili crisp or chili oil, can I just add some fermented black beans to it? Should I toast the black beans in the chili oil? Also, if I were to add black beans next time I make chili oil, where would I add them in the process?

[@rita7070]

could you make an ingredient video specifically on chilly and beans paste? I get so lost on that. also the various type of preserved vegetable could really help

[@woltews]

oh the dog at the end is priceless , I hope the dog got something to eat

[@bc454irocz89]

The dog finally got treat 😅

[@engineerncook6138]

Thanks for the optional substitutions, its much more likely I'll try these out because of them. The pup is hilarious, tapping on Steph to remind her for a snack.

[@TalyaEm]

Two of my favourite food groups: tofu and hot chilli 😍

[@Cantetinza17]

He's making his own chili and here I am with my Trader Joe Chili Onion Crunch.

[@tomtaylor3721]

So here I'm thinking I know my Sichuan food inside and out, and now I learn that there are TWO varieties of douban. Had no idea. Is there a way to move between the two types? Do you simply need to fry in more oil for longer to get the same result? And in regards to the earlier CCD recipes using douban: are these all using the red oil variety as well?