Ma Po Tofu

Put the rice in a small saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so it bubbles gently but steadily; cover and cook, undisturbed, until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes; when it’s ready, remove the pot from the heat and leave it covered. While the rice is cooking, put about 2 inches water in a large pot and salt it, but don’t turn on the heat yet. Rinse and trim the broccoli and cut it lengthwise into large spears.

Rinse the mushrooms and trim the tough stems; slice the caps into 1/4-inch strips. Peel the ginger; chop the ginger and garlic. Rinse, trim, and chop the scallion and cilantro; reserve. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until they start to brown, 4 or 5 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, black beans, and 1/8 teaspoon chile flakes (you’ll have extra) and cook just until they begin to sizzle, 1 to 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily, until the sauce thickens slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.

When the sauce is almost ready, bring the water in the pot to a boil. Add the tofu and tamari to the skillet and cook, stirring carefully once or twice to break the tofu into pieces, until the tofu is heated through and the sauce returns to a boil, 1 to 3 minutes; lower the heat and keep warm. Add the broccoli to the boiling water, cover, and cook until it’s bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 5 minutes; drain into a colander. Taste the ma po and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and more chile flakes if you’d like. Serve the ma po over the brown rice with some broccoli spears alongside, garnished with the cilantro and scallion.