Pixelated Provisions

Video Game Recipes Brought to Life

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot – Burning Tofu

By

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is the perfect balance of experiencing the story once again while getting to control the action. The story has been condensed pretty tightly but all the major Dragon Ball Z story beats are there. I have really enjoyed my time with the game and being able to play through the eyes of other characters. The fangirl in me is excited to go around and play as Vegeta! Vegeta will always be my favorite and no one can take that from me. I am happy the game has had so many callbacks to characters that only appeared in Dragon Ball. It is nice to see what all of them have been up to because that is something we never got with the anime series. I’ve also really liked the additional side missions that add some more information about characters that usually sat in the background, like learning that Chi-Chi actually helps keep the people of her local village safe from savage animal attacks.

The moment I saw Burning Tofu listed as a meal option, I knew this was my chance to finally attempt to make mapo tofu. Mapo tofu is a dish I’ve seen in many different games and I’ve always been spooked to try it. This large bowl of bright red tofu with meat could not be friendly to someone with such a low heat tolerance. I finally decided to take a stab at it and, unsurprisingly, it is a bit too spicy for me. Good thing Jeff was able to enjoy it! There are several unique ingredients and many of these will require you to either hit up your local asian market or order them online. Gochugaru and gochujang are very popular ingredients used heavily in spicy Korean cuisine. Doubanjiang is a Chinese fermented bean paste that adds a wonderful spicy, funky flavor to the dish. Even though my spicy tolerance is pretty low, all of these ingredients have become a staple in my kitchen. I will reduce the amount I use when I make dishes requiring them but I am using them whenever I can.

2 tsp sichuan peppercorns
1 star anise
½ tsp fennel seeds
2 cloves
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp gochugaru, korean hot pepper flakes
2 tbsp spicy doubanjiang, fermented bean paste with chili peppers
1 tbsp gochujang, korean fermented chili paste
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp shaoxing wine, chinese cooking wine (can substitute with dry sherry)
1 tsp soy sauce
⅔ cup chicken broth
2 scallions, minced – dark green part separated from other parts
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, minced
1 lb ground lamb
14 oz tofu, cut into bite sized cubes
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

Place the sichuan peppercorns, star anise, fennel seeds, and clove in a spice grinder and blend until the peppercorns have grinded. Transfer to a bowl and mix together with the sugar and gochugaru. Set aside.

Combine the doubanjiang, gochujang, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and chicken broth together. Set aside.

Heat a stainless steel pan with 2 tablespoons of canola oil over high heat. Add the light part of the scallions, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the garlic softens. Add the lamb.

Add the spicy mixture and mix together. Cook until the lamb is cooked through. Add the sauce mixture and mix well. Let simmer for 3 minutes.

Whisk together the water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to the pan and mix together until the sauce has thickened.

Add the tofu and gently mix in. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the tofu has heated through. Serve on top of a bowl with rice.

Print Recipe

Burning Tofu

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp sichuan peppercorns
  • 1 star anise
  • ½ tsp fennel seeds
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp gochugaru – korean hot pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp spicy doubanjiang – fermented bean paste with chili peppers
  • 1 tbsp gochujang – korean fermented chili paste
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp shaoxing wine – chinese cooking wine (can substitute with dry sherry)
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • ⅔ cup chicken broth
  • 2 scallions, minced – dark green part separated from other parts
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, minced
  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 14 oz tofu, cut into bite sized cubes
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water

Instructions

  • Place the sichuan peppercorns, star anise, fennel seeds, and clove in a spice grinder and blend until the peppercorns have grinded. Transfer to a bowl and mix together with the sugar and gochugaru. Set aside.
  • Combine the doubanjiang, gochujang, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and chicken broth together. Set aside.
  • Heat a stainless steel pan with 2 tablespoons of canola oil over high heat. Add the light part of the scallions, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the garlic softens. Add the lamb.
  • Add the spicy mixture and mix together. Cook until the lamb is cooked through. Add the sauce mixture and mix well. Let simmer for 3 minutes.
  • Whisk together the water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to the pan and mix together until the sauce has thickened.
  • Add the tofu and gently mix in. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the tofu has heated through. Serve on top of a bowl with rice.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. These are products I recommend and use in my kitchen.