Bean Curd Szechuan-style (ma Po Dofu)

Total Time: 27 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 7 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• 1/2-3/4 lb bean curd
• 1/4 lb boneless lean lamb (finely chopped or ground)
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon sweet bean paste or 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or 3 tablespoons salad oil
• 1 teaspoon gingerroot, minced
• 2 teaspoons szechuan hot bean sauce (tobanjan or lajiaojiang)
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced (about 2-3 cloves)
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 green onions, whole, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon szechuan peppercorns, roasted and crumbled (huajiao) (optional)

Recipe

• 1 cut bean curd into .5-inch cubes, place in a colander and leave to drain for 15 minutes.
• 2 meanwhile, in a small bowl blend the marinade: 1 tsp of soy sauce, sherry, and sweet bean or hoisin sauce; add lamb and stir to coat.
• 3 stir in 1 tsp of the oil and marinate for 15 minutes.
• 4 heat a wok or wide frying pan over high heat.
• 5 when pan is hot, add remaining veg oil.
• 6 when oil begins to heat (i.e. passes the "water droplet test" where a sprinkling of water thrown into the oil starts to crackle--careful here) add ginger and garlic.
• 7 stir once, then add lamb and stir-fry until meat isn't pink any more, about 2 minutes.
• 8 stir in hot bean sauce (lajiaojiang or tobanjan).
• 9 add drained beancurd, the water and the 2 tbsp soy sauce.
• 10 simmer for 3 minutes, then add green onion.
• 11 re-mix cornstarch and water with a fork, add to pan and cook, stirring, until sauce bubbles and thickens (this happens very quickly).
• 12 sprinkle with crushed szechuan peppercorns just before serving.
• 13 serve over large mounds of hot rice.
• 14 i have served this along with some stir-fried chinese broccoli (gai lan) seasoned with a little oyster sauce, or some baby bok choy stir fried with a little sesame oil.
• 15 for a vegetarian version, this recipe also works if you omit the meat.
• 16 you could also try using some kind of veggie sausage, like morningstar crumbles, in place of the lamb.