Mapo Tofu
Mapo tofu is a <strong>comforting</strong> tofu dish made with minced meat, aromatics, and fragrant chilies. It's one of the traditional Chinese dishes originating from the province of <strong>Sichuan</strong>; famous for their bold, spicy, and numbing flavors!
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- ~275 g medium or firm tofu, cubed (about half a block of tofu)
- 100 g ground pork (or beef, chicken, mushrooms)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 3 sprigs scallions, chopped (white and green parts separated)
- 1 tbsp doubanjiang (also known as chili/spicy bean sauce, toban djan, or tobanjiang)
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- Cornstarch slurry (1 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp water)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 - 1 tsp sichuan peppercorns, grounded
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce
- 1-2 tbsp chili oil
- 1.5 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
- 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
Instructions
- 1
Cut the tofu into cubes and optionally simmer in hot water for 2 mins. Drain, then set aside.
- 2
Prepare the sauce by combining together the soy sauce, chili oil, sugar, shaoxing wine, and rice vinegar. Mix well.
- 3
In a hot oiled pan or wok, saute the ground pork until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes.
- 4
Add in the garlic, ginger, green onions (white parts), and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- 5
Add in the doubanjiang, and saute for another 1-2 minutes.
- 6
Pour in the prepared sauce, chicken stock, and cubed tofu. Let this simmer for around 3 minutes to allow the tofu to absorb some of the sauce.
- 7
Finally drizzle in the cornstarch slurry, sesame oil, and grounded, toasted sichuan peppercorns. Gently stir to combine, and continue simmering until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
- 8
Serve with a side of rice and garnish with scallions (green parts). Enjoy!