Name: Ma Po Tofu
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: a good pinch of Sichuan pepper; 300 g (10½ oz) silken tofu, cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes; ½ teaspoon sesame oil; 200 g (7 oz) minced (ground) pork belly; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; ¼ teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon light soy sauce; 1 teaspoon shaoxing; 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) fresh chicken stock; 2 teaspoons sugar; ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce; 2 tablespoons hot bean paste; 2 spring onions (scallions), sliced; 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Balance and Harmony

By Neil Perry

Published 2008

About

This is a Sichuan classic: grandmother’s tofu. For a treat I have a bowl of this with rice for lunch. Another interesting way to make this is to steam the tofu in larger squares and sauce it with the stir-fried pork — it changes the texture of the dish and accentuates the silkiness of the tofu. This is also made with beef; just substitute it for the pork and away you go.