Free Food Recipes

Ingredients

• 3 cakes bean curd
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) salted black beans
• 3 stalks spring onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 chili peppers
• 45 ml (3 tablespoons) vegetable oil
• 225 g (1 lb) minced beef
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) salt
• 150 ml (10 tablespoons) strong stock
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) corn flour
• 22 ml (1 1/2 tablespoons) soy sauce
• 2.5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) freshly ground pepper

Serve 6

** Free Food Recipes **

Method:

1. Simmer the bean curd in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and cut each cake into a dozen pieces. Soak the black beans in water for 20 minutes, then drain them. Cut the spring onions into small segments, crush and coarsely chop the garlic, and shred the peppers (discarding the pips).

2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the beef, salt and black beans. Stir and mash the black beans with the beef for 34 minutes. Add the pepper, spring onions and garlic.

3. Turn them together for 2 minutes over a medium heat. Add half the stock and the bean curd, mix this with the other ingredients in the pan and leave it to cook for 4-5 minutes over a medium heat.

4. Mix the remaining stock with the corn flour and soy sauce. Pour this over the ingredients in the pan. Turn the heat to high. Stir gently and turn the contents over a few times. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper and serve with rice.

Note: To be authentic, the dish should be hot enough to bring beads of sweat to the brow even when consumed in winter.