Place 15g of Sichuan peppercorn powder into a clean bowl for later use.
Watch out
Keep the peppercorn powder dry to avoid clumping and losing aroma, otherwise the flavor will be flat.
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Recipe details are AI-generated from the video and may contain errors — for reference only.
Place 15g of Sichuan peppercorn powder into a clean bowl for later use.
Watch out
Keep the peppercorn powder dry to avoid clumping and losing aroma, otherwise the flavor will be flat.
Pouring hot oil into the bowl involves extremely high temperatures and splattering risks; be careful and use a sieve.
Heat the wok, pour in 1 tbsp of sesame oil, add 15g of Sichuan peppercorns, and fry over medium-low heat. Make sure the sesame oil temperature is not too high until the peppercorns release their aroma without turning black and bitter. Then, pour the hot oil and peppercorns through a sieve into the bowl with peppercorn powder.
local_fire_departmentmedium-low heatWatch out
Sesame oil is not heat-resistant
high temperatures will cause it to spoil and turn bitter, otherwise the entire bowl of peppercorn oil will be bitter and unusable
Bring water to a boil in a large glass pot, add 1 tbsp of salt (about 2% ratio), and blanch cubed soft tofu in a sieve submerged in the boiling salted water. Blanching tofu in salt water releases internal moisture, maintains its shape, and makes it absorb flavor better.
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Do not stir too vigorously after putting the tofu in, otherwise it will easily break into pieces.
Keep a little salad oil in the wok, add 100g of minced pork and stir-fry. Do not just cook the meat through; keep stirring until the fat is rendered into dry, fragrant pork lard crumbs, releasing rich pork fat aroma without adding extra oil.
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The minced pork must be stir-fried until the fat is rendered and dry, otherwise it will have a raw meat odor and fail to release pork fat aroma.
Using the pork fat in the wok, add 30g of spicy bean paste and stir-fry. Since chili bean paste is fat-soluble, frying it in oil turns the oil red, making the cooked tofu turn a vibrant red and releasing a rich bean paste aroma.
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The bean paste must be thoroughly stir-fried until the oil turns red, otherwise it will have a raw bean odor that ruins the flavor.
Add minced garlic and ginger, using the heat of the meat and oil in the wok to release their aroma. Remember not to add garlic too early, otherwise it will burn and turn bitter.
local_fire_departmentmedium heatWatch out
Minced garlic burns easily
the heat cannot be too high, otherwise it will produce a bitter burnt taste
Pour 200ml of bone broth (or chicken broth) into the sautéed seasonings and bring to a boil, allowing the aroma of minced meat, bean paste, garlic, and ginger to fully blend into the soup base.
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When adding broth, the liquid may splatter due to high heat
pour carefully
Put the previously blanched and thoroughly drained tofu cubes into the wok. Do not stir vigorously while cooking; once cooked through, the tofu becomes elastic and less likely to break. Simmer until the tofu is yellowish-bright and flavorful.
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The tofu must be drained before going into the wok, and stirring must be gentle, otherwise the tofu will break into pieces.
Add 1 tsp of soy sauce to make the saltiness more vibrant, then add 0.5 tsp of sugar (especially important when using bean paste to balance the flavor) for a savory-sweet taste, remembering not to add MSG.
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Only add a little sugar and soy sauce for flavor enhancement, otherwise it will mask the aroma of the bean paste and Sichuan peppercorns.
Add a little cornstarch water for a thin thickening, cover the wok and simmer for 2 minutes. After simmering, the tofu will puff up completely, indicating it has absorbed the broth and is full of flavor.
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The thickening must be very thin, otherwise the sauce will be too thick and affect the texture.
The claypot has been pre-heated and is extremely hot; you must wear heat-resistant gloves when lifting or moving it to avoid severe burns.
Turn off the heat, sprinkle with chopped green onions, drizzle with 1 tsp of red chili oil, and add the freshly made peppercorn sesame oil (peppercorn powder and peppercorn oil) to enhance aroma and numbing flavor. Mix well and pour into a pre-heated claypot to keep sizzling.
Watch out
Only add a moderate amount of peppercorn oil and chili oil, otherwise it will be too numbing or spicy and mask the natural sweetness of the tofu.