Name: Mapo tofu
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 Soft or silken tofu; 0.5 lb Ground pork; 3 tbsp Doubanjiang (chili bean paste); 1 tbsp Fermented black beans; 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns; 2 tbsp Chili crisp or chili oil; 1 bunch Green onions; 4 cloves Garlic; 1 inches Fresh ginger; 1 cups Low-sodium chicken broth; 2 cups Jasmine rice; 1 tbsp Soy sauce; 1 tbsp Cornstarch; 1 tsp Sugar; 1 tsp Salt; 2 tbsp Vegetable oil

Mapo tofu

Soft tofu and a little ground pork in a spicy, numbing red sauce. Made for a bowl of rice.

How many people are eating

Written for 4. Everything below is scaled to 4.

What goes on the list — untick anything you have

2 Soft or silken tofu(14–16 oz blocks; medium-firm if that is all there is)
0.5 lb Ground pork(or ground beef)
3 tbsp Doubanjiang (chili bean paste)(Asian market, Pixian brand if they have it; or 2 tbsp gochujang plus 1 tbsp miso)
1 tbsp Fermented black beans(Asian market; skip if you cannot find them)
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns(Asian market; leave out if needed — it will be spicy but not numbing)
2 tbsp Chili crisp or chili oil(Lao Gan Ma, in the Asian aisle at Walmart)
1 bunch Green onions
4 cloves Garlic
1 inches Fresh ginger
1 cups Low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups Jasmine rice
1 tbsp Soy sauce· most people have this
1 tbsp Cornstarch· most people have this
1 tsp Sugar· most people have this
1 tsp Salt· most people have this
2 tbsp Vegetable oil· most people have this

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything, add to it, and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How to cook it · about 30 minutes

Start the rice.
Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes until fragrant, then crush them fine with a rolling pin or in a mortar. Set aside.
Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes. Slide it into a pot of lightly salted simmering water for 3 minutes to firm it up, then lift it out gently with a slotted spoon.
Mince the garlic and ginger, and slice the green onions, keeping the white and green parts apart. Mix the cornstarch with 3 tbsp cold water.
Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high. Brown the pork for 4 minutes, breaking it up, until crisp at the edges.
Turn the heat to medium, add the doubanjiang and black beans and stir for 1 minute until the oil turns red. Add the garlic, ginger and onion whites for 30 seconds.
Pour in the broth, soy sauce and sugar and bring to a simmer. Slide in the tofu and nudge it with the back of a spoon rather than stirring, so it does not break. Simmer 5 minutes.
Stir the cornstarch mix and pour it in a third at a time, gently, until the sauce clings. Finish with the chili oil, the ground peppercorns and the green onion tops, and serve over rice.

Amounts are on the list above — they change with the number of people; the steps do not.