Instructions: Heat the wok at medium heat, add the cooking oil and Szechuan peppercorns.

Stir fry the peppercorns at medium heat for a minute or two until the fragrance is released. Discard the cooked peppercorns, add the flavoring mixture to the oil and stir fry for a few seconds. Add the ground pork, turn up the heat to high and stir fry until the pork is done. Pour in the well stirred seasoning mixture and cook until the sauce clears. Gently add the Dou Fu, stir gently and cook for a minute or two until the Dou Fu is heated throughout. Garnish with leaks and sesame oil and serve on a platter.

Notes:
If one decides to omit the Szechuan peppercorns the cooking process may start with a high heat to stir fry the flavoring mixture very briefly. If powdered Szechuan peppercorn is available, use 1/4 tsp of the powder and blend into the sauce mixture. This obviates the trouble of stir frying the peppercorns. If a truly hot dish is desirable a TBS or two of Szechuan hot sauce may be added. Or, a few dried hot peppers can be stir fried along with the peppercorns. Dou Fu is very fragile and is easily broken while stirring and blending. Handle with care, and if a few cubes do get broken during cooking, dont be bothered. For those who do not eat pork or meat of any kind, one can use chopped black mushrooms and water chestnuts, or fresh mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Of course, as yet, there is no federal law that prohibits the use of ground beef, chicken or turkey in place of pork, although chopped mutton was the original version.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.