Mapo Tofu

Method

1. 1Cut the tofu into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Mince the garlic and ginger. Rinse the black beans, then chop them. If the doubanjiang is chunky, chop it too. Cut the scallions into ¾-inch lengths. Stir the starch and the cold water together and set that bowl by the stove. Measure the beef, the chili, and the Sichuan pepper. Once the paste is in the oil, there is no time to stop and chop.
2. 2Bring 6 cups of water and the ½ tsp salt to a simmer in a saucepan. Slide in the tofu. Simmer 1 minute, then drain it in a colander and leave it there. A longer boil makes the cubes tough. Shake off the extra water so it does not thin the sauce.
3. 3Set a wok or a wide skillet over high heat. Add 1 tbsp of the oil, then the beef. Break the meat into small bits and keep moving it until the bits brown. Cook until no pink remains and the liquid has cooked off, about 2 minutes. Scoop the beef into a bowl.
4. 4If the pan is still smoking hard, give it a few seconds off the heat. You want a steady sizzle. Set it over medium heat, add the remaining 3 tbsp oil, and add the doubanjiang. Stir the whole time, until the oil turns red and the paste smells toasted, about 1 minute. If it starts to go black, pull the pan off the burner. Add the black beans and the chili and stir about 20 seconds. Add the garlic and ginger and stir about 20 seconds more.
5. 5Pour in the water or stock slowly. It will spit. Bring it to a simmer, slide in the tofu, and scatter the beef over the top. Spoon the sauce over the cubes. A hard stir breaks them. Simmer uncovered for 3 minutes. In a wide skillet the liquid spreads thin. If you can see the bottom of the pan, add a splash of water so the tofu is still sitting in sauce.
6. 6Taste the sauce. It should already be salty from the paste. If it tastes flat, stir in 1 tsp light soy sauce. Stir the starch water again, because the starch sinks. Pour in about half and let the sauce bubble gently for a few seconds. Spoon it over the tofu until it starts to cling. Add more, a spoonful at a time, until it coats the cubes and still runs off the spoon. Stop before it turns gluey. You may not need the whole bowl.
7. 7Stir in the scallions. Take the pan off the heat and sprinkle on the Sichuan pepper. Spoon it over the rice while the sauce is still steaming.

Useful details

• ·The paste has to say Pixian, or doubanjiang. Sweet bean sauce, hoisin, and gochujang are different jars.
• ·That ½ tsp salt is for the blanching water. Leave it out of the sauce. The paste and the black beans are already salty. If the pot comes out too salty, serve it over more rice, and use 2 tbsp paste next time.
• ·Chengdu cooks use beef. Pork at the same weight is the usual stand-in.
• ·A block marked firm or extra-firm will keep its shape and eat dry. If you cannot find soft, medium is the next choice. Move the cubes with a spoon either way.
• ·Use plain Chinese chili flakes or powder. Sweet paprika has no heat here. Gochugaru will make the sauce milder and a little sweet.
• ·Sichuan pepper goes on at the end. If it fries for long, the tingle fades. If the powder barely smells when you open the jar, toast 1 tsp whole peppercorns in a dry pan until fragrant, let them cool, crush them, and use ½ tsp. Add more at the table if you want a stronger tingle.
• ·Add a pinch of sugar only when the paste tastes harsh. The base recipe has none.
• ·Leftovers weep as they sit. Rewarm them gently with a splash of water, and stop before the sauce boils. Freezing turns the tofu spongy.