Mapo Tofu

I would like to apologize again for my lack of posts in the last while. It just has been really hard to find the time to cook, particularly to try out new recipes. Jory is now a whopping two months and 3 weeks old. He is reaching out for toys now, and we spend the mornings "talking" to each other. Basically, he tries to mimic some of the sounds he hears...and he smiles a lot in the mornings...extremely cute! It just melts my heart. It's probably why I haven't had too much time to blog...too much time staring at baby!

This recipe is another recipe passed down from my mom. There are so many versions of this dish that it's hard to figure out exactly what is supposed to go into it otherwise than the tofu itself. I like it pretty simple. You could definitely add lots of other ingredients such as diced chinese mushrooms and green onions. Actually, my mom usually adds green onions but I'm just not a huge fan of them. Feel free to include them.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Package Smooth Tofu (cut in cubes)
1/2 lb. Ground Pork
1 clove Garlic (minced)
1 tbsp. Ground Bean Sauce
1 tbsp. Chili Bean Sauce
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Corn Starch
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Oil
Cornstarch Slurry (1 tbsp. Corn Starch, 1 tbsp. Sugar, 1 tsp. Pepper and 2 tbsp. Water)

DIRECTIONS:

Marinade ground pork with corn starch, soy sauce, sesame oil, 1 tsp. sugar and black pepper, then set aside.

Heat up wok and add oil. Once oil is hot, add garlic. Stirfry garlic until slightly browned, then add ground bean sauce, chili bean sauce and sugar.

Once the sauces are blended, add the ground pork. When the ground pork is cooked, gently add the tofu and blend carefully.

Once the tofu is blended, add the cornstarch slurry and allow the sauce to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. You may need to add a little sugar as the two sauces are salty.

Remove from wok and serve!