Izy's soy & ginger pork with silken tofu

There are way more varieties of tofu than I am aware of and even a tofu lover like me is not sure if she wants to try them all. I do know that not all varieties are bland, smoked tofu tastes to me, like cheese, so I definitely wouldn't use it for the following recipe. This recipe, is for the variety of tofu that has a smooth texture and can be partnered with stronger flavours. Silken, tofu is one of my favourite types because it is, well, so silky. I love the texture. It is sort of like set custard or wobbly jelly. I like to eat this tofu the way my mum cooks it and that is with minced pork, cooked within an inch of its life and flavoured with soy sauce. The shiitakes are my addition. I think they absorb the flavours really well and add a bit of character to this dish.
I have cooked this since my student days and continue to do so for my devoted, food loving husband (one of the reasons he remains so devoted, me thinks). When my Australian friends were visiting, I made this for dinner one night, with about 500grams of pork belly. I went to the butcher and ordered the meat but somehow, didn't get across that I wanted it minced. My most excellent friend diced the pork into small pieces, not as small as mince of course but small enough to make me marvel at her patience and small enough to make it work in this recipe. While you don't have to use pork belly, I wouldn't recommend this with lean pork mince, the result will be very dry. The fat content helps to keep the meat moist as it is fried for quite a long time.

Izy's soy & ginger pork with silken tofu (for 2)

300g minced pork OR minced pork belly OR pork belly cut into tiny pieces
1 x 300g square of silken tofu
6 black dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in boiling water till soft and chopped
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/4 cup or 60ml soy sauce (and some extra to taste)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, crushed or grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 red chillies, thinly sliced
2 spring onions, thinly sliced

In a wok, heat peanut oil until the surface of the oil shimmers. Add the ginger, and garlic and stir-fry. When the ginger and garlic are fragrant in the wok, add the pork and stir fry vigorously for 2- 3 minutes. Your wok should be hot enough so the meat fries rather than stewing in its own juices. Add half the soy sauce and continue to stir fry, once the meat is brown and cooked turn the heat down but not too low. The aim now is to get the mince to a nice dark brown colour, like what you can see in the pictures.
Keep adding the rest of the soy sauce gradually, tasting the mince as you go. From this point on the addition of soy sauce is to your personal taste. You don't want it to be too salty but you do want it to be quite tasty with the soy and ginger flavours. Add the shiitakes and continue to stir fry so the mince does not burn but continues to turn a deeper shade of brown. The whole process should take about 20 - 30 minutes and the flavour of the mince should be quite strong but not over powering. Remove the wok from the heat, place tofu in a serving dish that can fit into the wok and allows the lid of your wok to also fit on snugly.
Spoon the pork over the top of the tofu, and at this stage you can add a little more soy to the dish or simply sprinkle with the sesame oil. Place the tofu and pork dish in a wok filled with with 2-3 cups of simmering water and cover with the lid.
You want the entire dish to steam for about 15 - 20 minutes to warm through the tofu and incorporate all the flavours. When steamed through and the tofu is hot, sprinkle with spring onions and red chilli. I usually serve this dish with rice and if available, stir-fried Asian greens, if not I just slice some fresh cucumber.
Note: Feel free to use more tofu for this dish or less pork for that matter. I am usually in the position of trying to convert lovers of pork to tofu, so the 1:1 ratio works for me.