Braised Bean Curd with Mushrooms

You can try this recipe with different protein, be it pork, chicken, or seafood. You can also use different vegetables and mushrooms - napa cabbage, carrots, bok choy, dried shitake mushrooms, button mushrooms, enoki, and the list goes on. And then there is the sauce: soy sauce, oyster sauce, with beaten egg, or without it. Endless possibilities and all as delicious.

Ingredients:
• 1 box firm tofu or 1 block bean curd
• ¼ pound groud pork
• 5 shitake mushrooms (soaked in warm water for 20-30 minutes)
• 1 stalk scallion (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon sweet dark soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons water + 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 cloves garlic (finely hopped)
• A dash of white pepper

Method:
1. Cut the bean curd into pieces and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Heat up your wok or deep fryer and add oil. Deep fry the bean curd until light to golden brown, dish out and drain with paper towels. Set aside.

3. Heat up the claypot and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Stir-fry the chopped garlic until aromatic and toss in the ground pork, do a quick stir before adding the mushrooms and the fried bean curd.

4. Add all seasonings and water and cover the claypot with its cover. Lower the heat to low and let it braise for 15 minutes.

5. Before serving, add in the corn starch mixture to thicken the sauce. Toss in the chopped scallion and serve immediately.