Monday, January 21, 2008

Tofu is best with Pork Sauce

I like how many Chinese restaurants list this under "vegetarian".

Ma Po Tofu

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
1 Tbs "Szechuan chili sauce"
1/2 lbs ground pork (or beef etc)
5 Tbs "Chili Bean Sauce"
1 Tbs soy sauce
1.5 Tbs Cayenne
1 block tofu, cubed (silken is traditional, firm is easier to deal with)
1/2 cup water
Slurry
1 Tbs ground Sichuan peppercorns
3 scallions, small batons

Drain and cube the tofu.
Heat oil on high in a large pan/wok. Add garlic, ginger, and chile sauce. Once that's chokingly fragrant, add the pork and chili bean paste. Cook and break up the pork until it's almost done.
Add in the cayenne and soy sauce. After a minute, add in the tofu and the water, and gently mix everything up. Bring to a boil, and simmer 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the slurry (to desired goopyness), peppercorns, and scallions.
Eat with rice.

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