The charm of Mapo Tofu

I never truly understand why such a simple dish as the Mapo Tofu can captivate some people's heart so deeply, much like the ratatouille in the movie Ratatouille. I'm sure there are thousands of recipes of this dish out in the web, here is my homey version that is a little spicy. And the special ingredient that creates the charm is the Hua Jiao pepper.

Recipe: Mapo tofu (for 2)


Ingredients:
- 2-3 oz lean pork (either cut to bite size or minced)
- 1 pack of soft tofu, cut to 2" pieces
- 2 tablespoon (TB) oil
- 1 teaspoon (tp) light soy sauce
- 1/4 tp sugar
- 2 TB cooking rice wine
- 1/2 tp small dried shrimps
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 5 thin slices of ginger (about 2 tp)
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- 1/2 tp cornstarch
- 1 TB sesame oil
- 1 tp hua jiao pepper corn
- 1 tp pepper flakes
- 1 tp hua jiao pepper powder (optional)
- 2 TB Szechwan chili paste (we like the Dynasty brand)


Procedure:
Marinate pork in 1 TB oil, light soy sauce, sugar, and cooking rice wine for 15 minutes. If bite-sized pork pieces are used, add cornstarch and mix well (to create a tender coating when fried). Let sit for 5 minutes. Heat non-stick frying pan on med-high with 1 TB oil. Add chopped garlic, ginger, hua jiao pepper corn and pepper flakes to pan. Spread evenly. When sizzling starts, add pork and stir-fry until almost cooked. Add Sichuan pepper paste and tofu pieces. Add a little water and let cook with lid on for a few minutes. Sprinkle hua jiao pepper powder, chopped spring onion and sesame oil. Serve hot.