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Chinese Food Recipes

by Rachel Timmons

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Ma po dou fu (Sichuan)

(The following recipe is adapted from “The Chinese Kitchen” by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo. For a more intensive Sichuan “numbing spicy” taste, substitute whole Sichuan peppercorns in the dish.)

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
2 ½ teaspoons Chinese rice wine vinegar, or distilled vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 ½ teaspoons dark soy sauce
¼ cup ketchup
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon sesame oil
pinch Sichuan peppercorn powder
1 1/3 cups chicken stock or broth

(For the rest of the dish)

¼ cup peanut oil
2 teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
5 small dried Chinese chilies, chopped (or use fresh red Thai chilies if Chinese are unavailable.)
1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
½ pound lean ground pork
1 ½ tablespoons chili sauce
6 cakes fresh medium-firm tofu, cut into ¼ inch cubes
1/3 cup sliced scallions
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Mix together the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat a wok or large pot over high heat for 30 seconds and add peanut oil. Coat the wok with the oil. When the oil is barely smoking, add the ginger, Thai chilies, and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the ground pork and cook for 1 minute, or until the pork is no longer pink. Stir in the chili sauce until well-combined then add the tofu and cook, mixing together, for 3 minutes or until it begins to boil. Make a well in the center of the tofu-pork mixture, stir the sauce ingredients, and pour them in. Stir and cook for 1 minute or until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Turn off the heat, garnish with chopped scallions, and serve with hot cooked rice.


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