Mapo Tofu from Scratch

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 400 g natural tofu
• 200 g minced pork, ready to cook
• 3 stalk(s) spring onions
• Oil for roasting
• 30 grains of Szechuan pepper
• 2 tbsp bean paste (Doubanjiang)
• 70 g ginger
• 5 garlic cloves
• 2 chili peppers, red, maybe more or less
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp pepper, finely ground
• 1 tbsp chicken broth powder
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

easy and fast

Cut the tofu into 2-3 cm cubes. To reduce the bean flavor somewhat, boil the tofu cubes briefly in water for 2 minutes, then drain and set aside. To marinate the minced pork, finely chop the ginger, garlic, and chili and mix with soy sauce, then add the minced meat and set aside. Finely slice the spring onions and set aside. For the sauce, mix the soy sauce, pepper, chicken stock powder, and cornstarch with 250 ml of water. Heat the oil in a pan or wok over medium heat and toast the peppercorns to infuse their flavor into the oil. When the Szechuan peppercorns smell good after about 2-3 minutes, strain the oil through a sieve, discard the peppercorns, and return the flavored oil to the pan. Add the marinated minced pork mixture to the oil and fry until the meat is cooked through but not completely brown. Then add the bean paste and fry briefly. Add the prepared sauce and reduce the heat to medium. The cornstarch should thicken the sauce slightly. If the sauce isn’t thick enough, mix a little more cornstarch with a little water and add it. Add the tofu cubes and heat for 2 minutes. Serve topped with sliced ​​leeks.