Mapo Tofu - Spicy Pork & Tofu Stew

Welcome to Day 4 of my first series – Cooking Dinner for 21 Days! Today I am making one of my favourite Chinese dish, Mapo Tofu. There are so many variations of Mapo Tofu, but this is my personal favorite since it is fast and easy! Don’t worry if you can’t eat spicy, just adjust the seasoning to your liking.

The most crucial part of Mapo Tofu is making sure you get yourself a GOOD fermented chili bean paste – La Doubanjiang. If you are in Canada, go to your local Asian supermarket or T&T, and there are so many options! If you are in the states, these are the two brands that I recommend that are on Amazon:

Sichuan Pixian Boad Bean Paste with Red Chili Oil (I use this one $10): https://amzn.to/3n4Zq3T

Lee Kum Kee LKK Chili Bean Sauce ($9): https://amzn.to/3laBwlt

60 SECONDS VIDEO TUTORIAL: https://bit.ly/36ubWUz

Ingredients

1 pack of Firm/Traditional Tofu

1 cup of Ground Lean Pork

3 cloves of Garlic chopped

1 Green Onion

1.5 tbsp of Fermented Chilli Bean Paste

1 tsp of Sugar

1 tbsp of Soy Sauce

1/2 cup of Chicken Stock or Water

1 tsp of Sichuan Pepper Grounded (https://amzn.to/33lFLEK)

1 tsp of chilli flakes

1 tbsp of corn starch

Cut the tofu into cubes and pour hot water all over it; this will help take out the tofu smell and decrease cooking time, preventing the tofu from losing its shape.
In a hot pan drizzle in some oil and add in the pork. Break the pork apart and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Once the pork is broken apart, add in the white part of the green onion and chopped garlic.

Sauté together for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.

Add in Doubanjiang, sugar, soy sauce, chilli flakes, and Sichuan pepper power and Sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add in chicken stock or water and gently add in the tofu. Let it sizzle for 2-3 minutes, occasionally stirring to soak up all the sauce.

Finally, add a mixture of cornflour and cold water to thicken the consistency before serving, mix in half of the green onion and garnish the rest on top.

乾杯🍻 gānbēi

Tiffy