Spicy Pork & Vegetable Tofu � Probably Not Mapo Tofu

This might look like I was trying to make a version of a famous Chinese dish called mapo tofu, but that's not the case, and in fact, I'm pretty sure I was making this before I knew what mapo tofu was. And now that I�ve addressed the people that were going to complain this isn�t authentic, we can continue.

I'm assuming that whatever I did get this idea from was most likely a version of mapo, but that's as far as it goes. Which reminds me, this is a great recipe to adapt to your own tastes, not only with the sauce ingredients, but also in regards to what vegetables you include.

Zucchini is our favorite, especially if you take the extra 15 minutes to salt it, but pretty much any dice-able seasonal vegetables will shine. So, please keep this one in mind as you browse the farmers market, but no matter what you put in, I really do hope you a give this delicious tofu dish a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Portions:

1 1/4 pounds ground pork

1 pound firm tofu, cubed (my package was 14 ounces)

handful of sliced green onions

minced hot chili peppers, as much as you like

3 small zucchini, cubed, toss with 1 tablespoon kosher salt (rinse after 15 minutes)

freshly chopped cilantro to finish

sliced green onions for the top

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons Korean chili paste aka Gochujang, or other chili paste product to taste (click here to read a little more about Gochujang)

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon sesame oil

4 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger