We Chinese consume a fair amount of pork and tofu, and I think the main reason is that they go well with soy sauce and rice — so well it’s a no-brainer when you need to fix something quick and tasty and don’t have much at home to make something fancy.
Makes 3-4 as a sharing dish
Ingredients
- 200 g hard tofu, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 150 g choice of mince
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms*, soaked in hot water until softened completely (rinse and remove stems, then slice thinly)
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 2 small clove of garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- Vegetable oil for frying
Marinade for pork:
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- Dash of Shaoxing wine
Sauce for thickening:
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 2 heaping tsp corn starch
*Dried shiitake mushrooms can be soaked in lukewarm water, covered, and refrigerated overnight for later use. Presoaked mushrooms can be frozen for later. They defrost quickly at room temperature.
Recipe Preparation
Marinate mince and set aside.
Heat sesame oil and 1 tsp of vegetable oil in a wok on medium-high heat. Fry tofu cubes until browned on all sides and set aside. Keep stove on.
Put all thickening ingredients into small bowl and stir with spoon to combine. Set aside.
Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil to wok on medium-high heat. Fry shallot and garlic until fragrant, without browning too much. Add mushrooms and stir to combine, then add pork. Turn heat up high and use spatula to gently break up lumps of mince. Cook until browned and lightly crisp, where some bits of mince have more texture and some are soft. Add splash of Shaoxing wine and let evaporate slightly. Return tofu pieces to wok and stir gently to combine.
Add thickening sauce and toss ingredients together to coat. Turn off heat and serve immediately with steamed rice.
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