Recipe - Mah Pau Dou Fu

1 pound Fresh Dou Fu, cut into 1/2"
to 3/4" cubes
One half cup Ground lean pork (see notes
for substitutes to keep
vegetarian)
1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns
(optional)

SAUCE MIXTURE
1 tablespoon Hot bean sauce
1/3 cup Sauce stock
1 tablespoon Dry sherry
1 tablespoon Soy sauce
1 teaspoon Corn starch
1 tablespoon Cooking oil

FLAVORING MIXTURE
1 tablespoon Chopped green onion
1 teaspoon Chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Chopped ginger root

GARNISH
2 tablespoon Leeks, cut into 1/2"
sections at 45o angles
1 teaspoon Toasted sesame oil

Heat the wok at medium heat, add the cooking oil and Szechuan peppercorns.
Stir fry the peppercorns at medium heat for a minute or two until the
fragrance is released. Discard the cooked peppercorns, add the flavoring
mixture to the oil and stir fry for a few seconds. Add the ground pork,
turn up the heat to high and stir fry until the pork is done. Pour in the
well stirred seasoning mixture and cook until the sauce clears. Gently add
the Dou Fu, stir gently and cook for a minute or two until the Dou Fu is
heated throughout. Garnish with leaks and sesame oil and serve on a
platter.

Notes:

If one decides to omit the Szechuan peppercorns the cooking process may
start with a high heat to stir fry the flavoring mixture very briefly. If
powdered Szechuan peppercorn is available, use One fourth tsp of the powder and
blend into the sauce mixture. This obviates the trouble of stir frying the
peppercorns. If a truly hot dish is desirable a TBS or two of Szechuan hot
sauce may be added. Or, a few dried hot peppers can be stir fried along
with the peppercorns. Dou Fu is very fragile and is easily broken while
stirring and blending. Handle with care, and if a few cubes do get broken
during cooking, don't be bothered. For those who do not eat pork or meat of
any kind, one can use chopped black mushrooms and water chestnuts, or fresh
mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Of course, as yet, there is no federal law
that prohibits the use of ground beef, chicken or turkey in place of pork,
although chopped mutton was the original version. Posted to EATL Digest by
"Pamela F. Wagner" FanofPern@AOL.COM on Jul 5, 1997