Unlike pies, inflation is real and in Melbourne it's much cheaper to cook than to dine out. This recipe takes about 45 minutes to cook and can be easily scaled up or down. Great for meal prepping because some days, you just don't wanna cook and be a couch potato.

Ingredients:

a pack of tofu (I used firm tofu because I prefer the texture, but silk tofu works as well)

500g of minced pork

6 garlic cloves

2 ginger

2 stalks of scallion

2 tbsp of chilli bean paste (Toban Djian)

3 tbsp of soy bean paste (or any types of soy bean paste you have on hand, I bet miso would work as well)

2 tsp of white pepper

2 tsp of sugar

1 tbsp of chilli powder

1 tbsp of Szechuan peppercorn oil (or use the real thing)

1tsp of cornstarch (mixed with 3 tbsp of water to become a slurry)

Instructions:

cut the tofu into cubes, I cut mine into 2cm cubes and simmer in salted water for 10 minutes, this firms up the tofu so they don't break as easily in the following steps

while the tofu is simmering, mince your garlic and ginger, and slice your scallions

Next, heat some oil in a pan or wok and fry your minced pork until you see some caramelisation or at least till all the liquid has evaporated (I don't recommend using non-stick for this recipe, the fond from a steel wok or pan gives this dish more flavour)

Then, add in the ginger and garlic, and stir thoroughly until fragrant. Then mix in your bean pastes and the rest of the seasoning, until the paste slightly darken, but don't burn it!

Add in some water and half of your scallions in the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

Finally mix in your slurry and pull it off the heat when the sauce has reached your desired viscosity. Garnish with the other half of your scallion.

This recipe is by no mean traditional or "legit" but its easy, tastes good and goes great with rice.