Chinese Cooking
Mapo Dofu - Step 1

Slice Garlic Cloves

We buy the garlic all peeled from our local Oriental Food Market. It turns out to be cheaper and much easier than buying the cloves in clusters. Of course, if you buy garlic in clusters, you peel it first. We first cut off the ends and then slice them. For our Mapo Dofu dish for about 6 people we will use perhaps 6-8 peeled cloves. Slicing before chopping makes the job a little easier. The raw ginger sits nearby waiting for its use.