Mince or Tofu and Sweetheart Cabbage Stir Fry

Source: Maggie Zhu — Omnivore's Cookbook

Tags: pork, beef, tofu, cabbage, chinese, stir-fry, quick

Ingredients

• Mince or tofu and marinade
  • 250 g pork mince (20% fat; use this, 10% fat beef mince, or the tofu alternative below)
  • 280 g Naked Tofoo, drained, patted dry and chopped into approximately 1 cm cubes (optional) (alternative to the mince, not an addition)
  • 0.5 tsp ginger paste
  • 10 g dark soy sauce
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
• Sauce
  • 30 g light soy sauce
  • 5 g dark soy sauce
  • 7.5 g sugar
  • 10 g chilli paste or sriracha (choose one)
• Cornstarch slurry
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water
• Stir-fry and garnish
  • vegetable oil (as needed to coat the pan)
  • water (small splashes for deglazing)
  • 20 g garlic paste
  • 10 g ginger paste
  • 500 g sweetheart cabbage, prepared weight; core removed, finely chopped, ribs sliced especially thinly (roughly 765 g untrimmed for the base 2-serving batch; trimming yield varies)
  • 1 bunch spring onions, sliced; whites and pale parts for cooking, green tops for garnish
  • sriracha or chilli paste (extra at the end, to taste)
  • 0.5 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, measure whole, then toast and finely grind (adjust to taste)
  • salt (optional) (to taste)

Steps

1. Marinate protein; prep vegetables
   Gently mix mince with the marinade portion of ginger paste, dark soy sauce and cornstarch. Alternatively, drain and pat dry the Naked Tofoo, chop into approximately 1 cm cubes, and gently toss with the marinade ginger and dark soy sauce, reserving the marinade cornstarch until just before frying. Leave either option for 10–15 minutes while preparing the vegetables. Remove the cabbage core and chop the leaves finely, slicing the thicker ribs especially thinly. Slice the spring onions, keeping the whites and pale parts separate from the green tops.
2. Mix sauce and slurry separately
   Mix light soy sauce, the sauce portion of dark soy sauce, sugar, and your choice of chilli paste or sriracha in a small bowl. Mix slurry cornstarch and water in a separate bowl.
3. Toast and grind Sichuan pepper
   Briefly toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry pan over medium-low heat until fragrant, without burning. Tip out, cool, then finely grind with a pestle and mortar.
4. Brown mince or tofu
   Heat enough oil to coat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. For mince, spread it out and let it brown underneath, then turn, break into crumbles and cook through. Transfer meat to a plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pan. For tofu, gently toss the marinated cubes with the reserved marinade cornstarch just before frying. Fry in a single layer, turning gently as each side browns, until golden on several sides, then transfer to a plate; cook in batches if needed.
5. Stir-fry cabbage and onion whites
   Add sweetheart cabbage and spring onion whites to the pan, adding a little more oil only if needed. Stir-fry until the cabbage starts to soften but still has some bite. Deglaze with small splashes of water as needed, scraping up the browned bits; let excess water evaporate between additions.
6. Add garlic and ginger
   Just before adding the sauce, make a space in the pan and add the garlic paste and remaining ginger paste. Stir briefly until fragrant, then mix through the vegetables.
7. Combine everything and thicken sauce
   Add sauce, return mince or tofu, and toss gently. Re-stir slurry, pour in, and stir until the sauce thickens.
8. Season, garnish and serve
   Stir in the ground Sichuan pepper, then add extra sriracha or chilli paste to taste and adjust seasoning. Plate up and scatter the spring onion greens over the top.