Step by step

Method

5 steps

1. 1

   Stir 4 oz ground pork with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon cornstarch or tapioca starch; marinate about 20 minutes while you cube the tofu.

2. 2

   Cut 1 block (14–16 oz) firm tofu into ½-inch cubes. Blanch in simmering water 2–3 minutes — this firms the outsides so they don't shatter in the sauce. Drain gently.

3. 3

   Heat 2 tablespoons neutral oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the pork until it loses its pink color and takes a little brown, 3–4 minutes. Season lightly with salt, then stir in 1 tablespoon fermented black bean paste (or extra chili bean paste) and 1–2 tablespoons chili bean paste (doubanjiang) until fragrant and the oil turns red, about 1 minute — don't burn the paste.

4. 4

   Add 1 cup chicken broth, the drained tofu, and 2–3 green onions or 1 leek sliced into short lengths. Lower the heat and simmer 3–4 minutes so the tofu warms through without breaking apart — nudge gently with a spatula, don't stir hard.

5. 5

   Stir 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water and 1 teaspoon soy sauce, then drizzle it in; cook gently until the sauce thickens and coats the tofu, 1–2 minutes. Serve over rice with a sprinkle of freshly ground Sichuan pepper. You want soft tofu in a spicy, numbing red sauce with savory pork bits — not broken tofu mush or a bland watery stew.