Mapo Tofu - Sichuan-style

This is one of my favorite dishes that my SO makes. He is from Chengdu and of course, is very fond of the food from his provence. Luckily, spice and heat are two of my favorites in food. I feel like eating a meal without the tingly or numbing sensation on your tongue is not overtly satisfying. This recipe is a rendition of his mom's recipe - no real written recipe - just following her verbal directions/guidance. I hope you enjoy!

Mapo Tofu

Ingredients

1/8 lb of ground pork 

1 medium firm tofu (found in refrigerator section) 

1 green onion stalk (diced) 

2 garlic cloves (minced) 

2 tablespoons Chili Garlic Sauce 

2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce 

2 tablespoons of water 

1 tablespoon of tapioca powder & 1 tablespoon of cold water (mixed) 

This dish is quick so make sure you have everything prepped and at hand before you start cooking. Dice the green onions, mince the garlic cloves, and cube the tofu. (picture below)

Also, mix together the  dark soy sauce and water mixture, my SO puts these two items into a small bowl with a pinch of salt. This makes it is easy to transfer into the pan. YAY! First actual cooking step is browning the ground pork for a few minutes then adding the dark soy sauce and water mixture. Stir, stir as you go along.  

A wide but deep pan works best - wok is preferred but not necessary!

Now after the pork is fully cooked add the 2 tablespoons of the Chili Garlic Sauce  directly into the pan. We like to eyeball. :) Add more or less depending on your taste. 

Should look like this after you stir up the chili garlic sauce

We are almost there! Toss in (gently) the cubed tofu pieces and stir until the sauce covers every single bit of the tofu. Your stomach should be getting impatient at this point due to the aroma of deliciousness! 

Cover with a lid to heat up the tofu cubes. You should definitely heat up the tofu cubes for 3-4 minutes before uncovering. Uncover and now add the cornstarch or tapioca powder  slurry into the pan to thicken up the sauce covering the tofu. We like to add this last. No one likes goopy or floury tasting foods. 

Stir in the ground Sichuan peppercorns. We love the taste of these little peppers so we add a whole teaspoon but please add a little and taste as you go. If you've never had sichuan peppercorns - it is not spicy in a hot sense but a tingling and numbing sensation! Top off with green onions and stir the final stir! :) 

Mapo Tofu - Sichuan Style - made by my SO

Serve over rice! 

Enjoy!

XX

Kathy