Mapo Tofu

Toast the Chilies

Notes: If you have homemade toasted chili oil, you can skip this step and the ingredients listed here.

1/2 cup oil (divided)

1-2 fresh Thai bird chili peppers (thinly sliced)

6-8 dried red chilies (roughly chopped)

Heat your wok or a small saucepan over low heat.

Add half of the oil and throw in the fresh and dried peppers.

Stir occasionally and heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes, ensuring that the peppers don’t burn.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Notes: If the sauce gets too thick, you can splash in a little more water or chicken stock to thin it out.

1-2 tablespoons spicy bean sauce

2/3 cup low sodium chicken broth (or water)

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Add the spicy bean sauce to the pork mixture and stir it in well.

Add the chicken broth to the wok and stir. Let this simmer for a minute or so.

While simmering, combine the 1/4 cup water and cornstarch in a small bowl.

Add the cornstarch mixture to your sauce and stir.

Let it bubble away until the sauce starts to thicken.