Mapo Tofu

• 300g - 500g silken tofu, sliced into small cubes
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 25g ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tsp fermented black beans
• 5 soaked dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 ½ tsp of Sichuan peppercorns, crushed
• 1-2 tsp chilli flakes
• 200ml vegetable stock or water
• Cornflour slurry (1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp of water)
• Spring onions, finely sliced, optional to garnish
• Vegetable oil for cooking

Sauce

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tbsp chilli oil
• 4 tsp chilli bean paste

PREPARATION

In a separate bowl mix together your sauce ingredients. Finely slice the greens of your spring onions into rings for garnish and then chop the rest of the spring onion into rough chunks and place at 12 o’clock in your wok clock. Finely dice your soaked shiitake mushrooms and place after your spring onions on the wok clock.

COOKING

Steam your black beans for 4-5 minutes to open up the flavour. Finely chop your garlic and ginger, and then mix with your black beans and roughly press them together. Place after your mushrooms on your wok clock. Toast the sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, then grind in a pestle and mortar and add in the chilli flakes, adding the mix after your black bean/garlic/ginger mix. Place the tofu at the end of the wok clock. 

Place your wok over a high heat and add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, spreading the oil over the base of the wok. Once the oil begins to smoke, add the spring onion chunks and shiitake mushrooms. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms go crisp around the edges, and then add the garlic, ginger, and black bean mix. 

Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and then add your sichuan chilli mix. Next, pour in the sauce ingredients and bring to a gentle boil, adding some of the vegetable stock. Thicken the sauce by adding around 6-8 tsp cornflour paste and stirring, adding more if necessary to achieve your desired thickness. Gently add in your tofu, carefully stir through once or twice, and tip into your serving bowl. Garnish with spring onions and serve.