Ma Po Tofu

Travellers, we're jumping continents and landing in Asia, the first country we're visiting is China. China has made great contributions to the world on the aspects of food resource exploration, diet treatment, nutrition and health care and cuisine aesthetics. Intellectuals in China have created countless dishes with apt names, aromas, flavors and colors, greatly enhancing the dining experience. Ma Po Tofu is a great dish if you want to add a little spice to your diet without feeling guilty, this a great dish to try.

Ingredients

½ cup low sodium chicken broth

1 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

2 medium cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp minced ginger

4 green onions white part only, minced

1 tbsp fermented beans, roughly chopped 

6 ounces minced pork

2 tsp minced hot pepper

14 ounce block tofu, drained and cut into 3/4” cubes

green part of green onions minced for garnish

Directions

Add the chicken broth, cornstarch, soy sauce and sugar to a small bowl and stir to combine.

Heat a wok or large frying pan until hot. Add the sesame oil, garlic, ginger and green onions and stir-fry with a spatula until fragrant. Add the beans and continue stir-frying.

Add the ground pork and use the spatula to break it up into small grains (you don’t want clumps of meat). When the pork is cooked, add the pepper and stir to distribute. 

Add the tofu, and toss to mix (if you stir it, the tofu will lose its shape).

Give the stock mixture a good stir to incorporate anything that may have settled, and then pour it over the pork and tofu. Toss to coat, then boil until the sauce thickens.

Garnished with the green parts of the green onions, then serve with hot rice.