-
1
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to evenly coat the pork.
-
2
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.
-
3
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle.
-
4
Place the chiles in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast until slightly darkened and fragrant, about 3 to 5 minutes.
-
5
Let cool completely.
-
6
Using a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder, grind the chiles into a fine powder.
-
7
Transfer to a medium bowl.
-
8
Grind the star anise pods along with the Sichuan peppercorns into a fine powder and add to the chiles; set aside.
-
9
When the pork is ready, set a colander over a large bowl and transfer the pork and marinade mixture to the colander.
-
10
Set the marinade aside.
-
11
Using a meat grinder fitted with a coarse (1/4-inch) dye, grind the pork into a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid.
-
12
Add the ground spice mixture, reserved marinade, brown sugar, salt, water, bay leaf, and cardamom pod to the ground pork and stir to combine.
-
13
Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink, about 15 minutes.
-
14
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the flavors have melded, about 2 hours, stirring every half hour.
-
15
Meanwhile, place the vinegar, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, fermented black beans, and soy sauce in a medium bowl and stir to combine; set aside.
-
16
When the pork is ready, remove from heat, add the reserved black bean mixture and the mushrooms, and stir to combine.
-
17
Taste and season with chile oil, additional soy sauce, brown sugar, and black or white vinegar as needed to balance the flavors.
-
18
(At this point, you can cool the sauce completely, then transfer it to a container with a tightfitting lid and freeze it for up to 1 month.)
-
19
Place 3 cups of the sauce in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until simmering.
-
20
Add the tofu, stir gently to combine, and simmer until the tofu is heated through, about 3 minutes.
-
21
Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with cilantro and scallions, and serve with steamed rice.
