Recipe: Delicious Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu.

You can have Mapo Tofu using 12 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you cook it.

Ingredients of Mapo Tofu

1. Prepare 1 lb of softer tofu (homemade preferable).
2. It's 1 lb of ground pork.
3. You need 2 c of sodium-free stock of choice or water.
4. It's 3 tbsp of minced garlic.
5. It's 3 tbsp of minced ginger.
6. Prepare 3 tbsp of doubanjiang (use less if you're not a fan of spice).
7. It's 2 tbsp of sichuan pepper.
8. It's 1 tsp of sichuan pepper powdered.
9. You need 5 tbsp of oil.
10. You need 5 of dried chilis.
11. It's 2 of scallions chopped for garnish.
12. It's 1 tsp of msg and/or sugar to taste.

Mapo Tofu instructions

1. Use the softest tofu you are comfortable cooking with. Our homemade tofu would probably be categorized as soft or medium-firm based on the brand. Prep all of your ingredients and cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes. Be sure to give the doubanjiang a pass through with your knife to chop up any whole beans that may be in the paste..
2. Heat the oil in a wok and toss in the sichuan peppers and dried chilis. Cook until the peppers have turned brown and the oil is fragrant, less than 5 minutes on medium heat. You can leave the peppers in the dish, but we usually scoop them out and leave behind the oil for a less gritty texture..
3. Cook the pork in the oil, making sure to break apart the ground until it's a finer mince, but we usually leave slightly larger chunks since we prefer it that way. Brown the pork until you're satisfied, then toss in the ginger, garlic, and doubanjiang. Stir fry until the aromatics have softened..
4. Add in your stock (or water) and tofu. Allow to simmer until the water has reduced and tofu has softened..
5. Once the stock has reduced partially, check for taste and season with salt or sugar/MSG accordingly. If there is too much liquid released from the tofu, add slurry of 1 tsp of cornstarch and a tbsp of water to thicken..
6. Garnish with scallions. Serve with rice, steamed vegetables, and/or any pickled sides..