Ingredients:
- 18 cm (~7") piece smoked Chinese bacon (about 115 gm (1⁄4 lb.)), rind removed and discarded
- 2 tbsp. peanut oil
- 340 gm (3⁄4 lb.) smoked tofu, cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) squares about 8 mm (~1⁄3 in) thick
- 10 dried chiles, such as árbol, stemmed and seeded, cut into 1 cm (~1⁄2 in) pieces
- 10 Chinese garlic chives or scallions, green parts only, cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) pieces
- Light Soy sauce
Method:
- Put the bacon into a steamer basket set over a pot of simmering water. Cover and steam until the bacon firms up, about 7 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate and let cool. Cut the bacon crosswise into 8 mm (1⁄3 in) pieces and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and stir-fry until it has just begun to release a little of its fat, about 30 seconds.
- Add the tofu and stir-fry until it is just golden brown, 2–3 minutes.
- Drain the tofu and bacon on the side off the wok above the oil line and remove these briefly.
- Add the chillies, and stir-fry them briefly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then return the bacon and tofu plus the other ingredients, chives and the soy sauce, in the wok together, and stir-fry until the chives are just crisp-tender, approx 30 seconds.
This recipe has its origins with Fuchsia Dunlop's "Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province", (W. W. Norton, 2007).
