Free Quick & Easy Chinese by Nancie McDermott Page B

to the pan and toss to mix everything together well. Add the sweet-and-sour sauce and cook, tossing often, until all the ingredients are evenly seasoned. Add the green onion and toss again. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot or warm.

PORK WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE
    Salty meets smooth in this classic stir-fry combination pairing the richness of pork with the salty counterpoint of fermented black beans. You’ll mix three different seasonings prior to cooking this dish, but once you’ve done that, the dish comes together quickly. We love this with Egg Flower Soup (page 38) and lots of rice to capture every bit of irresistible black bean sauce.
    3 tablespoons chicken stock or water

    2 tablespoons dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine

    2 tablespoons water

    1 tablespoon soy sauce

    2 teaspoons cornstarch

    1 teaspoon sugar

    ¾ pound thinly sliced pork

    2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fermented black beans

    2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger

    2 teaspoons chopped garlic

    2 tablespoons vegetable oil

    ¾ cup 2-inch strips green bell pepper

    2 tablespoons chopped green onion

    2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

    SERVES 4

    Combine the chicken stock, sherry, and water in a small bowl, and stir well and set aside. Combine the soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar in a medium bowl, and stir to dissolve the cornstarch and sugar. Add the pork, stir well, and set aside for 15 minutes.

    Combine the black beans, ginger, and garlic in another small bowl. Stir well to combine into a coarse paste.

    Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the pork and spread it out into a single layer. Cook undisturbed until it changes color around the edges, about 30 seconds, then toss. Continue cooking, tossing occasionally, until no longer pink, about 1 minute more.

    Add the bell pepper strips and cook, tossing often, until they are shiny and beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Add the black bean mixture and toss well. Add the chicken stock mixture and cook, tossing occasionally, until the sauce comes to a gentle boil.

    When the pork is cooked through, the peppers are tender, and the seasonings combine into a smooth sauce, add the green onion and sesame oil, toss well, and transfer to a serving plate. Serve hot or warm.

MA PO TOFU
    With its plush texture and complex flavors, this dish is a favorite with my family. I use firm tofu, but soft tofu works fine, too. It may crumble a bit, but that suits the texture of this dish. If you don’t have hot bean sauce or Szechuan peppercorns, don’t worry; you can still make a tasty version without them. If you can’t find firm tofu, see page 178 for instructions on pressing soft tofu into firm tofu.
    1 pound firm tofu

    2 tablespoons hot bean sauce or

    1 tablespoon hoisin and

    1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce

    2 tablespoons soy sauce

    ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce or molasses (optional)

    1 teaspoon sugar

    1 teaspoon salt

    2 tablespoons water

    2 teaspoons cornstarch

    2 tablespoons vegetable oil

    1 tablespoon chopped garlic

    1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

    ¼ cup chopped green onion

    ½ pound ground pork

    1 / 3 cup chicken stock

    1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

    1 teaspoon Toasted Szechuan Peppercorns (optional; page 176)

    SERVES 4

NOTE
Tofu is sometimes sold in 14-ounce containers, and one of those will be sufficient to make this dish. Hot bean sauce is a chile-fired version of brown bean sauce, a thick, salty seasoning made from salted, fermented soybeans. You can mix equal parts of brown bean sauce or hoisin with chile-garlic sauce for a good substitute in many recipes
.

    Chop the tofu into ½-inch chunks and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the hot bean sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, if using, sugar, and salt. Stir well to mix them into a smooth sauce. In another small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch. Stir well to dissolve the cornstarch, leaving the spoon in the bowl for a final stir.

    Heat a wok or a large, deep