Mapo Doufu or Mapo Tofu

This is an awesome recipe from one of our favorite go to cooking blogs for Chinese food. In fact I think this is the first recipe I ever cooked from her blog and was the reason I stumbled onto the Appetite for China blog in the first place. The flavors were spot on for what I was looking for and it was not ridiculously difficult to make. Ever since I've always checked her website for Chinese recipes first, and I've never had a problem with a single one! (FYI - she also has a cookbook out now!) It can be a little on the spicy side for kids, but I don't really have spicy tolerance and this has been just fine for me! Makes 4 servings but very easy to stretch out and make more of. Here's a link to the original recipe and site.
  

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon fermented black beans (or substitute black bean sauce)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2½ tablespoons chili bean paste
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry (We've made this for years w/o ever putting it in b/c we never had it and it had always tasted awesome anyways!)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper (Awesome addition if you can find it, we found this at an Asian market as whole peppercorns. We have also made it w/o this and while it isn't as aromatic w/o it, it still tastes just fine.)

Other Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
• ½ pound ground pork or beef
• 2 leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced at an angle (Because leeks are usually harder to find and aren't regularly stocked in our 'pantry' we usually end up using regular green onion.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 block soft or medium-firm tofu (about 1 pound), drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• 1 scallion, green part only, chopped for garnish

PREPARATION:

1. Prepare the sauce: Rinse the black beans to remove any grit. In a small bowl, mash the black beans with the back of a spoon. Combine the black beans with the chicken stock, chili bean paste, rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and Sichuan pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add the peanut oil and swirl to coat the base. Add the pork and stir-fry until crispy and starting to brown but not yet dry, about 2 minutes, breaking up the pork with a spatula. Reduce the heat to medium, then add leeks, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Pour in the sauce and bring the liquid to a boil, the reduce to a simmer. The liquid should now have a nice red color. Gently add the tofu cubes, being careful to not move them around too much or else they will break up. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes so the tofu can cook and absorb the the sauce.
4. Carefully push the tofu to the sides and create a small well in the middle. Stir in the cornstarch mixture in the center. Allow the liquid to simmer for another minute, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer to a deep plate or wide bowl, sprinkle scallions on top, and serve hot.