Mapo doufu

I long ago lost track of how many times we've cooked this. It's one of our absolute favourites, for sure. A classic Chinese dish, that's just so so good.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs soft of firm doufu, drained
• 1/2 lb ground pork or beef
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1.5 tbs Shaoxing rice wine
• 1/2 ts roasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons Sichuan pepper corns
• 1 tbs oil
• 2 scallions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 ts ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tbs chile bean paste (we actually use sambal oelek instead)
• 1 cup stock
• 1.5 ts corn starch
• 1 scallion, shredded on top

Method

Cut bean curd in cubes. Marinade the meat in 2 ts soy sauce, 2 ts rice wine and the sesame oil.

Toast the Sichuan peppers lightly in a dry pan.

Heat oil in pan until very hot. Stir-fry the meat until browned. Remove with wire strainer, and let the water sputter off. Add scallions, garlic, ginger, stir-fry a little. Then add chile paste, stir-fry for 5 seconds.

Add the stock and the remaining soy and rice wine to the pot, and bring it to a boil. Then add back the meat and the bean curd. Reduce the heat to medium and cook it for 5 minutes. Then add in the corn starch, and let the sauce thicken.

Sprinkle Sichuan peppers and the shredded scallions on top.