MaPo Tofu 麻婆豆腐

【MaPo Tofu】
by MaomaoMom

MaPo tofu is a popular Chinese dish from the Sichuan (Szechuan) province. It is a combination of tofu (bean curd) set in a spicy chili- and bean-based sauce, very tasty.

Meal type: Tofu
Prepare time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Level: Low
Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1) 1 package tofu 700g;
2) 120g ground pork, 2 tsp olive oil;
3) 4 tsp olive oil or vegetable oil, 2 tbsp freshly minced garlic, 2 tbsp finely chopped green onion, 2 tsp freshly minced ginger, 2 tsp hot chili garlic sauce or 1 small hot chili pepper chopped, 1/2 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorn, 1tsp paprika, 3 tbsp spicy soy bean paste, 3 tbsp water, 3/4 tsp salt,  3 tbsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar, 1.5 tbsp chili oil;
4) 2 tsp corn starch mix with 2 tbsp water, ¼ tsp chicken broth mix, 1 tsp sesame oil, ¼ tsp ground Sichuan peppercorn.

Directions:

1: Cut tofu into 1.5 cm cubes (Picture 1), place ground pork in a bowl and add 2 tsp olive oil (Picture 2) and mix well with a fork (Picture 3), set aside.
2: Heat 4 tsp olive oil in a non-stick sauté pan over high heat, sauté minced garlic, chopped green onion, minced ginger and hot chili garlic sauce or chopped hot chili pepper for about 30 seconds (Picture 4). Add ingredients of ground Sichuan peppercorn, paprika and spicy soy bean paste of Ingredient 3) stir and cook for 40 seconds.

3: Add ground pork stir to break into very fine pieces and cook for 1-2 minutes (Picture 5). Add the rest of ingredients of Ingredient 3) and tofu cubes, stir gently and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4: Reduce to medium heat, add starch water of Ingredient 4) (Picture 7), 1 tsp sesame oil and ¼ tsp ground Sichuan peppercorn, stir gently until the sauce thickens. Turn off heat and transfer to a serving plate. Serve with some steamed rice, very yummy.

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