Mapo Tofu

🥘 Ingredients

• Sichuan peppercorn powder
• Sichuan peppercorns
  1 tablespoon
• cornstarch
  1.5 teaspoons
• dried red chilies (roughly chopped)
  7
• fresh Thai bird chili peppers (thinly sliced)
  2
• garlic (finely minced)
  3 tablespoons
• ginger (finely minced)
  3 tablespoons
• ground pork
  8 ounces
• low sodium chicken broth (or water)
  2/3 cup
• oil (divided)
  1 cup
• scallion (finely chopped)
  1
• sesame oil (optional)
  1/4 teaspoon
• silken tofu (cut into 1 inch/2.5cm cubes)
  1 pound
• spicy bean sauce
  2 tablespoons
• sugar (optional)
  1/4 teaspoon
• water
  1/4 cup
• water or chicken stock

🍳 Cookware

• small saucepan

1. 1

   Heat your small saucepan or wok over low heat. Add oil and throw in fresh Thai bird chili peppers and dried red chilies . Stir occasionally and heat until fragrant, about ⏱️ 5 minutes , ensuring that the peppers don’t burn. Remove from heat and set aside.

   oil: 1/2 cup (divided), fresh Thai bird chili peppers: 2 (thinly sliced), dried red chilies: 7 (roughly chopped)
2. 2

   Heat the remaining oil in your wok over medium heat. Add ginger . After ⏱️ 1 minute , add garlic . Fry for another ⏱️ 1 minute , and then turn up the heat to high and add ground pork . Break up the meat and fry it until it’s cooked through. Add Sichuan peppercorns and stir for about ⏱️ 15-30 seconds , taking care to not let it burn, as it will turn bitter if it does.

   oil: 1/2 cup, ginger: 3 tablespoons (finely minced), garlic: 3 tablespoons (finely minced), ground pork: 8 ounces, Sichuan peppercorns: 1 tablespoon
3. 3

   Add spicy bean sauce to the mixture and stir it in well. Add low sodium chicken broth to the wok and stir. Let this simmer for about ⏱️ 1 minute . While that's happening, ready your silken tofu and combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl.

   spicy bean sauce: 2 tablespoons, low sodium chicken broth: 2/3 cup (or water), silken tofu: 1 pound (cut into 1 inch/2.5cm cubes), water: 1/4 cup, cornstarch: 1.5 teaspoons
4. 4

   Add the cornstarch mixture to your sauce and stir. Let it bubble away until the sauce starts to thicken. If it gets too thick, splash in a little more water or chicken stock .

   water or chicken stock
5. 5

   Then add your chili oil from before—peppers and all! If you are using homemade chili oil, ONLY use the standing oil, as it's likely that you have salted it and you only want the oil, not additional salt. Stir the oil into the sauce, and add the tofu. Use your spatula to gently toss the tofu in the sauce. Let everything cook for about ⏱️ 3-5 minutes . Add sesame oil and sugar along with scallion and stir until the scallions are just wilted.

   sesame oil: 1/4 teaspoon (optional), sugar: 1/4 teaspoon (optional), scallion: 1 (finely chopped)
6. 6

   Serve with a last sprinkle of Sichuan peppercorn powder as a garnish if desired.

   Sichuan peppercorn powder