Mapo Tofu

Before you start cooking, make sure to have all ingredients prepared and ready to use: 1. Thinly slice Thai Bird Chili. 2. Chop Dried Chili. 3. Grind Sichuan Peppercorns. 4. Remove the skin of ginger and finely mince it. 5. Finely mince the garlic. 6. Cut Tofu into 2.5 cm cubes. 7. Finely chop scallions. 8. Prepare a neutral oil, soy sauce, spicy bean sauce, chicken stock, and sugar and set them aside. 9. Prepare a cornstarch slurry by mixing cornstarch with twice the amount of water. Mix well.

Toast the chilis in a small saucepan over low heat. Add half of the oil after the pan is hot and then add the fresh and dried peppers and stir occasionally for 3 minutes. Put the chili oil into a bowl and set aside.

Heat your wok or large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the other half of the Oil after the pan is hot, this is important to develop non-stick properties. Add the Ginger and fry for 1 minute. Then add the Garlic and fry for another minute. Make sure the garlic does not burn. Increase the heat to high and add the ground pork. Constantly stir and break up the meat until it is evenly cooked through, around 2-4 minutes depending on how fast your pan heats up.

Add the Sichuan Peppercorns and stir for 15 seconds. Mix in the Spicy Bean Sauce and stir well. Add your Chicken Stock and let it simmer for 1 minute. Mix your Cornstarch Slurry once more and add to the Wok and let the sauce thicken for 1-2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium high.

Slowly stir in the your chili oil including chilis. Afterwards add the Tofu and mix gently without breaking the Tofu. Cook for 3 minutes (5 minutes if you are using firm Tofu). Add the scallions and sugar. Salt to taste. Sprinkle a bit of Sesame Oil on top and serve hot. Chef Tip: Serve with a large bowl of rice. Noodles also work. Top with a sprinkle of Sichuan Pepper Oil for the extra kick. (Optionally you can use firm tofu instead of soft tofu)