Chinese Take Out's Mapo Tofu

So I had this amazing roommate in college whose family was from China, and she made me something that will forever be my favorite Chinese food--Mapo Tofu.  This is so spicy and delicious, and I LOVE having it, and I have tried making it before, but couldn't ever find the correct ingredients.  Well, I ordered the ingredients from amazon.com, and I tried this recipe out, hoping it would match Jen's (my roommate) deliciousness :).  Success was mine!  Or this recipe's, since I followed it almost exactly.

Aaron loves Chinese food, and I like it okay, but I am never in the mood to eat it out, I would rather eat at some other restaurant.  Anyway, I bought this cookbook called The Chinese Takeout Cookbook for Aaron, and it looked promising and received great reviews, so we bought it and have loved everything we have tried in it.  This dish was exactly what I hoped for, it tasted just like at a restaurant, it was 322 calories a serving, and so here's the recipe:

1 T fermented black beans

1 c chicken stock

2 1/2 T chili bean paste

1 T  rice vinegar

2 t soy sauce

2 t sesame chili oil

2 t sugar

1/2 t Sichuan pepper

1 T vegetable oil

1/2 lb ground pork

5 green onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 t minced fresh ginger

1 lb soft tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 T cornstarch, dissolved in 2 T water

1 scallion, for garnish

Rinse the black beans to remove any grit.  Mash the black beans, then combine them with the chicken stock, chili bean paste, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame chili oil, sugar, and pepper.  Set aside.

Heat the oil over high heat, then add the pork and stir fry until crispy.  Add the green onions, garlic, and ginger.

Pour in the sauce and bring the liquid to a boil.  Reduce the heat to simmer.  Gently add the tofu cubes, and then add in the cornstarch slurry and mix until thickened.  Top with the scallion, and serve with steamed rice.

Be careful, this is spicy, but soooo delicious!