mapo tofu

Ingredients

• Tofu
• Spicy bean paste
• Dried chili peppers
• Sichuan peppercorns
• Tiny bit of cinnamon bark
• Star anise
• Sliced ginger
• Minced pork
• Light soy sauce
• Dark soy sauce
• Corn starch
• White pepper
• Minced garlic
• Sugar

Procedures

1. Dice tofu into 1/2-inch pieces
2. Heat pan on stovetop, heat oil until shimmering
3. Dropped minced pork, stir fry until brown
4. Take the cooked pork out
5. Drop spicy bean paste, dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, a tiny bit of cinnamon bark, star anise, and ginger to season the oil
6. Add the tofu to the seasoned oil, pan fry gently to give everything a decent sear
7. Deglaze with water, covering tofu half-way
8. Add the pork back into the pan
9. Add light soy sauce of flavour, dark soy sauce for colour
10. Make a corn starch slurry to slightly thicken the sauce
11. Add white pepper and minced garlic
12. As you can start to smell the garlic, add a dash of sugar into the pan
13. Give everything a quick shake, and remove from the pan

Notes

• Sugar is a Sichuan way to finish a dish, but you MUST add it practically one moment before removing the dish from the pan, or else it burns and everything tastes bitter
• Can also add green onion garnish

Veggie option

• Don’t add minced pork