Mapo Tofu
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Mapo Tofu

👤 4 servings medium 🌍 Chinese recipetineats.com ↗

Recipe video above. Mapo Tofu is in my all-time Top 5 foods. That's how much I love it! So I am beyond excited to bring you this Sichuan classic that is everything a great, authentic Mapo Tofu should be - fiery, deeply savoury, unapologetically bold and so incredibly delicious, I almost wept with happiness.It's a recipe from our RTM Chef Xiao (Hannah) Huang, born and raised in Sichuan. So she knows a thing or two about Mapo Tofu! See all Hannah's recipes here.Spiciness - Mapo Tofu is spicy! See Notes section for spiciness and how to control.PS I know 100g/3.5oz pork doesn't sound like a lot compared to 600g/21oz tofu. But it seems like so much more in the finished dish! Mapo Tofu magic :) And Mapo Tofu is actually a braised tofu dish, with a bit of meat. But feel free to increase the meat, if you want.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp whole pink Sichuan peppercorns ((or green) - for 1 tsp powder (Note 1))
  • 600g/ 21 oz silken tofu (, cut into 1.5cm / 0.6" squares (Note 2))
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt ((halve for table salt, +50% for salt flakes))
  • 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce ((Note 3))
  • 1 tbsp canola oil (, or other neutral oil eg. vegetable, peanut)
  • 100g/ 3.5 oz pork mince ((ground pork), preferably 20% fat but even lean is fine, or beef (Note 4))
  • 1 tsp light soy sauce ((or regular / all-purpose soy, not dark soy sauce))
  • 1/4 cup canola oil ((Note 5))
  • 2 tbsp garlic (, finely minced (4 large cloves))
  • 2 1/2 tbsp ginger (, finely minced with a knife)
  • 1 tbsp preserved black beans ((aka salted black beans, fermented black beans), finely chopped (Note 6))
  • 1 tbsp broad bean sauce/paste (, we use Pixian doubanjiang, the spicy Sichuan version (Note 7))
  • 1 tsp light soy sauce ((or regular / all-purpose soy, not dark soy sauce))
  • 2 tsp chilli powder (, pure - NOT US chili powder blend (Note 8))
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika ((substitute regular/sweet paprika))
  • 1 tsp white sugar
  • 1 green onion stem (, finely sliced)
  • 3/4 cup beef stock/broth (, low sodium)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil ((toasted ie. brown, not un-toasted which is yellow))
  • 2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water
  • White rice

Instructions

  1. Toast, grind and sift Sichuan peppercorns. Blanch tofu 3 min. Cook pork until golden, remove.
  2. Sauté garlic and ginger 90 sec, then black bean and bean sauce 3 min, then chilli and paprika 30 sec. Add beef stock and soy, simmer tofu 10 min. Add sugar, pork, 1/2 tsp Sichuan pepper, then thicken sauce with cornflour slurry. Stir in green onion and sesame, serve garnished with 1/2 tsp Sichuan pepper.
  3. Toast peppercorns – In a small skillet over medium heat (no oil), toast the peppercorns for 2 - 3 minutes until fragrant (some will “pop” and crack open).
  4. Grind and sift – Transfer to a mortar and pestle, or spice grinder. Cool for a few minutes, then grind as finely as possible. Sift through a fine mesh sieve to remove the coarser husks (discard these). Measure out 1 teaspoon to use in the dish.
  5. Blanch - Bring the water, dark soy and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over higher heat. Carefully add the tofu, then once it comes back up to the boil, lower the heat slightly so it’s simmering rapidly and simmer for 3 minutes. This step removes raw beany flavour and seasons the tofu. And don't worry, the tofu won't fall apart!
  6. Remove - Use a slotted spoon to carefully scoop the tofu out into a bowl. Set aside.
  7. Cook golden pork – Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. (Note 9) Cook pork, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see pink. Then lower the heat to medium and cook for another 2 minutes until the pork has golden bits. Add the light soy sauce, stir for 5 seconds, the remove the pork into a bowl and set aside.
  8. Sauté aromatics – Reduce heat to low. Add the rest of the oil into the wok, then cook the garlic and ginger for 90 seconds. Add black beans and broad bean paste, cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chilli powder and paprika, cook for 30 seconds..
  9. Simmer – Add the beef stock and light soy. Turn the heat up to medium high, then once it starts bubbling, gently add the tofu (discard any excess water pooled in the tofu bowl). Simmer gently for 10 minutes (lower heat as needed), gently scraping the base with a rubber spatula every now and then to ensure it doesn’t catch (I push across base, avoid stirring as tofu will break). There should still be plenty of liquid at the end, mapo tofu is saucy.
  10. Cornflour slurry – Mix the water and cornflour together. This will thicken the sauce.
  11. Thicken sauce – Add the sugar, pork mince, 1/2 teaspoon sichuan powder. Stir gently using the rubber spatula. Pour the cornflour slurry all over the surface (not in one place) then gently stir again.
  12. Finish and serve – Stir in most of the green onion (reserve a little for garnish) and sesame oil. Pour into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining Sichuan pepper and garnish with green onion. Serve over rice!

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