Ma Po tofu

Style: Sichuan(Szechuan) Cuisine

The most well-known dish among the spicy and hot dishes of Sichuan Cuisine, ma po tofu is made of soft tofu, ground beef, chopped chili, prickly ash powder and broad bean paste.

According to the website Travelchinaguide, there are the methods to cook Ma Po tofu.

Step 1: Fill half wok water, turn on the heat and pour in the tofu cubes when the water is boiling. Boil the bean curd for 1 minute and then pick them out of the wok, and remove excess water through a colander

Step 2: Pour away the water in the wok, and place the wok over high heat until hot. Add some cooking oil, swirling to coat sides. Add in the chopped ginger to be stir-fried by high heat for about 10 seconds, add in the broad bean paste and stir-fry them together until smelling fragrant, about 20 seconds.

Step 3: Pour in the ground beef and stir-fried it for about 1 minute on high heat, add in the cooing wine and the soy sauce and stir-fry them together for a further 1 minute until the ground beef is 90%  cooked.

Step 4: Pour in the tofu cubes, add in the salt and white sugar and stir-fried them for about 2 minutes on high heat until all are covered with the seasoning sauce.

Step 5: Add in the previously prepared wet starch flour and stir well for 20 seconds until you feel it is a little bit sticky. This process is mainly to thicken the flavoured sauce to stay with the bean curd and the beef.

Step 6: Now, turn off the heat, add in the chopped green onion and the prickly ash powder. Stir them with cooking ladle until they are mixed with the other ingredients in the wok. Then ladle it out of the wok and put it into a fine porcelain plate.

Step 7: Enjoy it!
Reference: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/tof1/r/mapotofu.htm