Ma Po Tofu

For the marinade:1

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to evenly coat the pork. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.For the sauce:1

Heat the oven to 400F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Place the chiles in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast until slightly darkened and fragrant, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Let cool completely. Using a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder, grind the chiles into a fine powder.

Transfer to a medium bowl. Grind the star anise pods along with the Sichuan peppercorns into a fine powder and add to the chiles; set aside.2When the pork is ready, set a colander over a large bowl and transfer the pork and marinade mixture to the colander. Set the marinade aside. Using a meat grinder fitted with a coarse (1/4-inch) dye, grind the pork into a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid.3

Add the ground spice mixture, reserved marinade, brown sugar, salt, water, bay leaf, and cardamom pod to the ground pork and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the flavors have melded, about 2 hours, stirring every half hour. Meanwhile, place the vinegar, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, fermented black beans, and soy sauce in a medium bowl and stir to combine; set aside.4When the pork is ready, remove from heat, add the reserved black bean mixture and the mushrooms, and stir to combine. Taste and season with chile oil, additional soy sauce, brown sugar, and black or white vinegar as needed to balance the flavors. (At this point, you can cool the sauce completely, then transfer it to a container with a tightfitting lid and freeze it for up to 1 month.)To serve:1

Place 3 cups of the sauce in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until simmering.

Add the tofu, stir gently to combine, and simmer until the tofu is heated through, about 3 minutes.2

Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with cilantro and scallions, and serve with steamed rice.

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