MAPO TOFU: CHINESE

Ingredients

• 1 pound firm tofu (soft tofu would likely crumble apart in this recipe)
• 1 and ½ tablespoons doubanjiang, also known as chili bean paste
• 1 teaspoon fermented soya beans or fermented black beans (we used fermented soya beans)
• ½ tablespoon light soy sauce
• ½ cup of vegetable broth
• 3 stalks of spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sichuan peppercorns
• ½ teaspoon salt

Sauce Thickener

• 4 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

How to Make

1. Cut tofu into 1 inch square cubes and let soak in a bowl of water and salt. After 10 minutes, remove the tofu and let it drain
2. While the tofu is draining, take ½ of the Sichuan peppercorns and grind to a powder, either with a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle
3. Put your wok on super high heat and get it piping hot. Heat up oil (we used coconut oil) and add in the doubanjiang, garlic, and fermented beans. You'll want to fry this for up to 1 minute, when you can start to smell the aroma from the ingredients
4. Add your tofu cubes and let fry for ~1 minute
5. Next, add your vegetable broth and soy sauce. Keep the heat on high as the broth comes to a boil
6. Add your sauce thickener and cook for another 2 minutes. As you see the sauce begin to thicken, take the wok off the heat and add spring onions and the grounded up peppercorns
7. Bring your Mapo Tofu dish to your serving plate and use some spring onions, Sichuan peppercorns (fully intact), and coarse sea salt as a garnish
8. And you're done! This dish goes fantastic with steamed rice