Chinese Mapo Tofu

Ingredients

• 1 lb soft or silken tofu, cubed
• ½ lb ground pork
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp doubanjiang (spicy fermented broad bean paste)
• 1 tbsp fermented black beans, chopped (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 cup chicken or pork stock
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water, for the slurry
• 1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 scallions, sliced
• Steamed rice, to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Gently simmer the tofu cubes in lightly salted water for 2 minutes to firm up, then drain and set aside.

2. 2

   Heat the oil in a wok and brown the ground pork until crisp bits form.

3. 3

   Add the doubanjiang, black beans, garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry until fragrant and the oil turns red.

4. 4

   Pour in the stock, soy sauce, and sugar, and bring to a simmer.

5. 5

   Gently slide in the tofu and simmer for 5 minutes without stirring hard (shake the pan instead).

6. 6

   Stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.

7. 7

   Sprinkle with ground Sichuan peppercorns and scallions.

8. 8

   Serve immediately over steamed rice.