This has always been a favorite dish of mine and I wanted to find a way to make it without the ground pork. I made it for friends last night and it was really good. It has all of the flavor I love, without the heaviness and greasiness of the pork.

It has a few critical ingredients, which might take a bit to find, but once you have them you will have enough to make it many times. I have divided it into four steps to make it easier to follow. As with all Asian food, make sure to prepare all ingredients before you start cooking.

Ingredients

Step One
Combine these ingredients into a small mixing bowl and mix thoroughly, and set aside.

½ cup Vegetable Broth
1 Tbsp Chili and Garlic Paste
2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
2 tsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Cornstarch

Step Two
Preheat your wok until hot and then add 3 Tbsp of oil and stir fry the garlic, ginger, mushrooms and green onions until just slightly softened.

3 Tbsp Oil
4 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 inch piece of fresh Ginger root,, peeled and minced
1 Red Pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces.
6 Green Onions, chopped, white part only. Set the green bits aside for dressing the dish at the end.

Step Three
Add in the black beans, peppercorns and chili bean paste and sauté briefly.

1 Tbsp Fermented Black Beans, mashed.
1 tsp Szechuan Peppercorns, ground. These are critical, so keep looking until you find them.
1 Tbsp Chili Bean Paste, also call doubanjiang


Step Four
Then add the tofu and gently toss for 1 -2 minutes. Then add the vegetable broth mixture and gently toss until the dish thickens. Sprinkle the reserved green onions on top as garnish and serve with white of brown rice.

14 oz Medium Firm Tofu, cut into ¾ inch cubes