Xiao Wan's Mapo Tofu - With Basic Instructions

First, saute the garlic, chili, ginger, and green pepper on high heat until everything turns slightly brown . Add about a pound of ground pork and mix evenly with other ingredients. Continue stirring the ingredients while adding rice wine, soy sauce, salt, white and black pepper, and about 1 teaspoon of dark brown sugar.

Cover, lower heat to medium, and cook for about 5 mins. At some point, add some water to loosen ingredients for addition of tofu. Make sure you have pre-cut tofu into small, even, squares. Add tofu to mixture and cover for another 5 minutes.

Add chili paste to your personal taste once ingredients have mixed well and tofu has cooked. Mix in starch to thicken. Serve with white, brown, or sushi rice. Garnish with freshly minced scallions.

Dinner is ready! :)

Have the ingredients ready before you start cooking. Xiao Wan uses rice wine/sake, tofu, ground pork, garlic, ginger, scallions, green pepper, chilis, soy sauce, tapioca starch/potato starch (for thickening at end) and black bean chili pepper paste. Add about 2 tablespoons of the starch to water and mix-in for thickening.