14- to 16-oz package of soft or silken tofu. Fresh is best but the shelf-stable pack will do if it’s all you have. Cut into cubes, each about the size of an individual Rubik’s Cube segment • –5 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thinly • ginger (about the size of your thumb), peeled and sliced thinly • –4 green onions, sliced in half lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch (2.5-mm) segments • golf-ball-sized dollop of Pixian Doubanjiang. You can find it online or at your local Chinese grocery store. You can find doubanjiang from other regions of China, but they won’t taste the same • Slurry made from 1/2 cup of water plus 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, arrowroot starch, tapioca starch, or potato starch, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of sugar • cool/cold tap water in a glass or bowl within easy reach • dried Red Sichuan Pepper florets (find online or at an Asian grocery store) roughly ground with a mortar and pestle • coarsely chopped cilantro • Neutral oil such as canola or avocado oil • uncooked white rice
