Mapo Doufu (Pock-Marked Ma's bean curd)

image from here

Yes that's tofu, not mince meat but for the second recipe of mince week, I thought I'd share another mid week staple for us. I stole this recipe from Jill over at hey that tastes good. I love this meal, it possibly has a bit too much sugar to be called truly healthy, but it is really delicious. I like to fry my firm tofu first so that it doesnt break up in the dish, but the original doesn't have this step. I also add asian greens to it and sometime serve some steamed broccolini with it so that we don't need rice The quantities usually leave enough for left overs the next day for us.

Mapo Doufu

Adapted from Jill over at hey that tastes good, who adapted it from Mrs. Chiang's Szechwan cookbook

250gm ground pork or chicken

3 spring onions, chopped

5cm ginger, crushed or finely grated

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp plus 1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

2 tsp plus 1 tbsp cornflour

1/2 cup water

1 block firm tofu

1 1/2 t chili oil

1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh red chilli

1 t chili-garlic sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)

3 cups chopped green beans

2 tbsp peanut or canola oil

2 bunches asian greens, washed, dried and chopped 

Combine ground pork, half of the ginger, half of the garlic, all the spring onions, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, cooking wine and 1 tbs cornflower in a small bowl. Set aside. Mix together the remaining garlic and ginger and put in a small bowl, set aside. Whisk 2 t cornstarch into 1/2 cup water in a little cup and then add the chili oil, fresh chili, chili-garlic sauce and the rest of the soy sauce and set aside. Cut the tofu into small 1cm cubes and marinate in a small amount of the sauce mix for a few minutes.  

Heat the oil in a wok until it shimmers. Fry off the tofu, drain and set aside. Add more oil to the work and re-heat. Add the ginger-garlic mixture and cook until fragrant, stirring the whole time, about 30 seconds. Add the green beans, and cook, stirring, another 30 seconds. Add the meat mixture and cook until the meat is browned a little, and cooked all the way, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sauce-water mixture, bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the asian greens and cook till wilted, then add in the cooked tofu. If your sauce isn't thick enough for you, stir in the cornstarch-water mixture a little at a time, until the sauce is thickened enough for you. Stir in the sesame oil, and cook a minute. Serve immediately.