This is Part 2 of my adventures of trying out stir-fry recipes from other people’s blogs. This one is called Spicy Tofu. I grabbed this recipe from another amazing blog: Weeknite Meals. This blog is beautifully designed, and has great home-made recipes. Check it out if you have time! I spent a lot of time browsing all her recipes :)

As for the dish itself, it was amazing! I used corn starch (instead of tapioca starch), which I don’t do too often when marinading meat in a stir-fry, and it turned out very soft and delicious! I strongly recommend going to an Asian supermarket to purchase the ground pork, as you can tell the butcher the exact quantity of the ground meat you need (in this case, 1/4 pound).

I should note that I did make one small adjustment, and that was using only one tablespoon of soy sauce in total (as opposed to four as you will see). Keep in mind that you will also be using some black bean paste, which is also salty. So the amount of condiments should always be “as needed”, and do a taste-test near the end to check if more or something is needed.

• 1.5 tablespoons of tapioca starch (can substitute cornstarch)
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1/4 pound (115 grams) of ground pork
• 1 pound regular tofu (medium firmness)
• 1 leek or 3 green onions cut into short lengths
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon Chinese salted black beans (fermented black beans, also called Chinese black beans), or to taste
• 1 tablespoon of chili bean paste, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons of stock (chicken broth)
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
• freshly ground Szechuan pepper
• 2–3 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, as needed

• Marinade the ground pork with the tapioca starch (or corn starch) and 2 tablespoons (or to taste) of soy sauce. Let it sit for 20 minutes.
• Cut the tofu (bean curd) into 1/2 inch (1 cm) square cubes, and blanch (drop into boiling water) for 2–3 minutes. Remove from boiling water and drain.

1. Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the marinated pork. Stir-fry the pork until the color darkens. Add salt and stir.
2. Add the salted black beans. Mash the beans with a cooking ladle until they blend in well with the meat. Add the chili paste, then the stock, bean curd, and leek or green onions.
3. Turn down the heat. Cook for 3–4 minutes.
4. While cooking, take a small bowl and mix 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch, with 1-2 teaspoons of water. While the sauce in the wok has come to a boil, add the mixture and stir gently. This will thicken the sauce. Serve with freshly ground Szechuan pepper.