Slow Food Delicacies | Three Ways to Cook Tofu - Mapo Tofu
Recently, life seems to be gradually returning to normal, and ingredients are easier to purchase. However, two of the most common ingredients—tofu and pork—are still in short supply. Whenever I come across them, I buy extra. Although they are very ordinary ingredients, there are many ways to prepare them. This time, I'll use tofu and pork belly to make three dishes. Here’s the first one, a rice companion—Mapo Tofu.
Ingredients
Steps
Remove the fatty skin layer from 2 pieces of pork belly, then mince the remaining meat (~150g).
Cut the soft tofu into small cubes, chop the scallions, and mix 2 tsp cornstarch with 3 tbsp water to make a starch slurry.
Heat the pan, add 2 tbsp vegetable oil, then stir-fry the Sichuan peppercorns over low heat until fragrant. Remove and chop them finely for later use.
Add the minced pork and stir-fry over medium heat until golden and oily. Press the garlic into minced form and stir-fry until fragrant.
Push the minced pork to the side of the pan, leaving space to stir-fry the Pixian chili bean paste and chili powder until fragrant and red oil appears.
Add rice wine and fermented glutinous rice, then pour in a small bowl of water and bring to a boil.
Thicken the sauce with the cornstarch slurry.
After plating, sprinkle with chopped scallions and crushed peppercorns. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil and drizzle it over the dish.