Mapo tofu
This recipe requires a few ingredients you’ll most likely find at Asian grocery stores or on Amazon. The Chinese ingredients give this dish that authentic mapo flavor. Of course, you can alternate and substitute them, but I’m going all-in with the spices and condiments for this particular recipe. Before you gather the ingredients, make sure to check the Sichuan peppercorns and make sure they are of good quality. The peppercorns should be husks, and if there are many inner black seeds in the package, the spice will have a strange bitter taste, so make sure to use the husks.
Servings 2
Cost $10-13
Ingredients
- 4 ounces ground pork
- 14 ounces medium or firm silken tofu
- 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 6 dried red chilies
- ½ tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp Doubanjiang (spicy bean paste)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 1 scallion finely chopped
Instructions
- The first part of the recipe requires some chili oil. To make this, heat your wok, add ¼ cup of oil, and toast the dried red chilies. The peppers should cook for about 5 minutes, but they must not burn. Once ready, set the oil aside.
- Now heat the other ¼ cup of oil in the wok on medium heat. Add the Sichuan peppercorns and stir for approximately 30 seconds.
- Then add in the minced ginger and garlic and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the ground pork and break it up, so it’s not chunky.
- Add the Doubanjiang sauce and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
- As the pork begins to brown, add the Shaoxing wine, chicken stock (or water), and soy sauce. Cook until the pork browns.
- Turn down the heat to low and add in the tofu cubes. Let it simmer for about 12-15 minutes until the sauce has reduced to about half of the original amount.
- Add in the cornstarch and stir until sauce thickens.
- Mix in the scallion.
- Next, add in the chili oil. You can spoon out the chilies or leave them in if you want the added spiciness. Mix well and cook for another minute.
- Add the sugar to reduce some of the spiciness. This is optional and if you like the extreme spiciness, skip the sugar. Stir everything together and serve.
Notes
- When you add the tofu into the wok, avoid stirring because this prevents the tofu from breaking apart.
- You can marinate the pork in the cooking wine and soy sauce before cooking, but this step is optional.
- Douanjiang is very salty, so if you want to make the dish less salty, simply add half of the recommended amount.
