Ma Po Tofu

560g tofu 100g pork or beef mince or 250g Shiitake Mushrooms 1/4 cup B-well canola oil 2 tsp B-well canola oil 2 tsp B-well chili oil 2 tbsp Fermented Black Beans, chopped 2 1/2 tbsp Dou Ban Jiang (fermented bean paste) 1 tsp Szechuan peppercorn oil 2 tbsp Szechuan peppercorn (used to make oil) 1 tbsp chili powder 1 1/2 tsp minced ginger 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic 3 sprigs spring onion 1 tsp soy sauce 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp sesame oil 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock 1 tsp corn starch

Method:

1. Roast Szechuan peppercorn for about 2 minuets, add 1/4 cup canola oil and cook peppercorns on low heat for another 2 minuets. Drain oil and set infused oil aside until later.

2. Cut tofu into 1 1/2 inch cubes, add it to a pot of boiling water for about 1 min. Boiling it before you cook it will help the tofu to not break apart in the cooking process and it should absorb more flavor. Scoop out the tofu and set it aside until later.

3. Heat your wok or frying pan to medium-high heat and add 2 tsp canola oil, add your ground pork mince, cook the mince until it turns color.

4. Turn down the heat and add your green onion, ginger and garlic to the pan which contains your pork mince, and saute for about 15 seconds.

5. After the 15 seconds add your chopped fermented black beans, followed by the Dou Ban Jiang and saute for another 15 seconds, stirring everything together.

6. Add your cup of vegetable or chicken broth, add your chili powder, 2 tsp B-well chili oil and 1 tsp Szechuan peppercorn oil.

7. Give the sauce a good stir and add in your tofu, turn up the heat to medium-high heat and cook the tofu in the sauce for about 2 to 3 min. Using your ladle or a spoon, poor the sauce over the tofu but do not stir. You can use the ladle to push the tofu in a forward motion, this will help the sauce to mix without breaking up the tofu.

8. Add your sugar to balance out the flavor and the soy sauce, try not to add more than 1 tsp of soy sauce as the black bean paste already contains salt.

9. In a small bowl add 1 tsp water and 1 tsp corn starch and mix, then add to the sauce, along with 1 tsp sesame seed oil.

Finally you may transfer your Sichuan Ma Po Tofu to a large bowl and garnish with crushed Szechuan pepper (optional) and spring onion, this dish is traditionally served with white rice.

TIPS: If you would like to add some crushed Szechuan pepper, simply roast 1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns in the frying pan on medium-high heat for about 2 minuets, then remove from pan and crush them fine, sprinkle over as a garnish at the end.

#tofu #mince #mushrooms #shiitakemushrooms