Fresh Bean Curd With Sweet Scallion Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• To make the bean curd, heat a wok or heavy skillet over high heat for 30 seconds. Turn the heat very low. Add the pine nuts and spread in a single layer. Cook, stirring often with a spatula, until the nuts turn brown, about 12 minutes. Set aside.
• To make the sauce, heat a wok or heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the scallion oil, soy sauce, broth and sugar. Stir clockwise (to avoid spattering) until all ingredients are well blended and begin to boil. Set aside.
• Place water in a large pot, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add bean curd and boil for 4 minutes. Drain well, cut each cake in half crosswise and place in a heated dish. Whisk the sauce and pour over bean curd. Sprinkle with pine nuts and scallion and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat half of the oil in a wok and, when it is hot but not quite smoking, add half of the red and green peppers. Cook, stirring and pressing them against the side of the wok so that they blacken a bit without burning. Using a slotted spoon, remove them while they are still crisp and set aside. Leave the oil in the wok.
• To the wok add half of the pork and cook over high heat, stirring and chopping down to break up any lumps. Cook only until the pork loses its raw look.
• Add half of the bean sauce, half of the chili paste with garlic, half of the sugar and one tablespoon of the Sherry, blending thoroughly. Add one cup of the chicken broth and bring to the simmer.
• Blend half of the cornstarch with one tablespoon of Sherry and one and one-half tablespoons chicken broth.
• Stir this into the simmering meat sauce. When thickened, spoon and scrape the sauce into a large mixing bowl.
• Wipe out the wok. Repeat the procedure using the remaining oil, peppers, pork, bean sauce, chili paste with garlic, sugar, Sherry, chicken broth and cornstarch. Add the second batch of peppers to the first batch and let cool. Add the second batch of meat sauce to the first batch and let cool. Refrigerate overnight or until ready to use. Refrigerate the peppers separately.
• When ready to serve, return the meat sauce to room temperature. Return the sauce to large saucepans or casseroles and bring to the boil.
• Carefully add the bean-curd pieces to the meat sauce. Stir and heat gently so as not to break up the bean-curd pieces more than necessary. Add the cooked red and green pepper cubes. Heat briefly.
• Add the chopped scallions, ground peppercorns and sesame oil. Stir gently and serve. Serve with hot chili oil on the side, if desired, to be added by those who enjoy very spicy foods.