Mapo tofu

Check tofu and cooked salted-egg labels and storage directions. Move tofu to a clean plate and cut into roughly 2.5–3 cm cubes. Peel the cooked egg, keeping and crushing only its white. Mince ginger and garlic and slice optional chilies.

Mix minced pork with half the salt and half the soy sauce. Reserve the rest separately; never taste raw-meat seasoning, and wash afterward.

Warm oil over low heat and cook ginger, garlic, optional chili, peppercorns, egg white and chili sauce until fragrant. Add pork over medium heat, separate it and start a 1 min first check. Pale color is only an intermediate cue; it still needs cooking through with the tofu.

Gently add tofu, remaining salt and soy, and hot water around the edge to cover. Boil, then gently simmer over medium heat with a 10 min check, nudging to prevent sticking. Verify 71°C in the minced-meat dish and hot tofu centers before reducing to a little flowing sauce.

Gently plate tofu with its minced-pork sauce; this is the salted-egg-white version rather than the traditional bean-paste preparation.