Ma Po Tofu

Ingredients

2 teaspoons Fermented Black Beans
1 tablespoon Chilli Bean Sauce (Toban Djan)
1 tablespoon Ground Bean Sauce
½ - 2 teaspoon crushed dried chilli (optional)

½ - 1 teaspoon Chilli Oil
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
¾ - 1 cup chicken stock

500-700gm Chinese Tofu
1-2 tablespoons cooking oil
100-500gm Chicken, Pork or Turkey mince
30-50gm Garlic Chives
1-2 teaspoons potato starch
2 tablespoons cold water

1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 tablespoon Szechuan pepper (optional)

Method

1. Wash black beans well, drain and finely chop. Add to Chilli Bean sauce, ground bean sauce and dried chilli (if required) and mix well.
2. Add Chilli Oil, Shao Hsing and Soy Sauce to Chicken Stock and mix
3. Drain Tofu, gently rinse and drain. Cut Tofu into squares (approximately 2cm).
4. Heat pan, add cooking oil and swirl around pan to cat the surface.
5. Brown the mince, making sure to break it up thoroughly as you cook it.
6. Add in sauce mixture and mix through well.
7. Add in stock mixture and stir in well.
8. Add in Tofu and simmer until Tofu has warmed up.
9. Wash Garlic Chive and cut into 5cm sections
10. Mix Potato Starch and cold water and then add to the pan, stirring gently to mix through.
11. Add Garlic Chives and gently stir through.
12. When Garlic Chives almost cooked, gently stir in sesame oil.
13. Top with Szechuan pepper (gives unique numbing sensation to mouth) if required.

Serve over Rice.

These recipes come to you compliments of Wing & Co, your one stop Asian Food shop.