Mapo Tofu
Mapo Tofu is easily one of the most recognizable dishes of Sichuan cuisine. Tender chunks of tofu are bathed in a spicy, meat-studded sauce that makes your mouth tingle as you eat. The tingling comes not only from chilies but from the generous addition of citrusy Sichuan peppercorns, which produce a slight numbing sensation on the palate. Cooking a batch of Mapo Tofu is actually quite simple and takes less than 10-15 minutes. Most of the hard work will be in sourcing the necessary ingredients and the initial preparation.
If you already have a pantry stocked with basic Chinese and Sichuan ingredients, you have won half the battle. If not, almost all of them can easily be purchased online or at a Chinese supermarket. It’s worth noting that many of these pantry items will keep for a long time and can be used to make many different dishes, so you can continue to use them in future cooking endeavors.
Initial preparation is of the utmost importance when preparing this dish, especially if you have never made it before. Make sure you have all of your ingredients cut and measured out before attempting to cook anything. I would also suggest reading through the cooking procedure a few times before you turn on the stove. It is a good idea to put all of the ingredients in small bowls or cups and line them up in the order that they should go into the pan. This makes it much easier to reach for the next item while focusing on what is happening on the stove.
Notes on some of the ingredients
- Tofu – I prefer soft tofu but you can use firm tofu if you prefer.
- Doubanjiang – This ingredient is important. Fermented chili bean paste. Don’t skip it. I like using Pixian doubanjiang, which made in the Pixian region of Sichuan. The English labeling can get a bit confusing but look for something along the lines of “Pixian chili (broad) bean paste”.
- Pork – Traditionally, beef is often used but I like pork. I prefer to hand chop the meat as it gives it a coarse, appealing texture. You could use ground pork in a pinch.
- Sichuan peppercorns – feel free to use red or green peppercorns but make sure they are fresh and smell fragrant.
- Small dry red chili – look for a medium-hot pepper such as “heaven facing chili”. If you can only find very spicy red chilies such as chile de arbol, you may need to cut the amount in half.
- Green garlic – If you can find young green garlic (the type that has not developed a garlic bulb), use that. If not, scallion or baby leeks would work well.
- Caizi you – Sichuan roasted rapeseed oil. This is optional but will add a pleasant nutty undertone to the dish.
- Lard – Optional, but rendered lard will lend a pleasant richness to the dish.
- Pickled red Sichuan chili – These are hard to find so I often use red pickled Thai bird chilis, which are more readily available. You could also pickle your own peppers or use fresh red Thai bird chili.
- Douchi – Fermented black beans – Optional but they add a nice salty depth to the dish
Goes well with:
- Steamed white rice
- Stir-fried romaine with garlic and chili
- Smashed cucumbers with spicy sesame dressing
- Stir-fried shredded pork with hot peppers
Mapu Tofu
A spicy, satisfying tofu dish from Sichuan.
Ingredients
Chili-Peppercorn Topping
- 5 grams seeded, medium-hot dry chili such as "heaven facing chili" about 20 small chilies
- 1 Tbsp sichuan peppercorn, red or green
- 1 Tbsp neutral flavored cooking oil (canola, vegetable, corn….etc)
Mapo Tofu
- 450 grams soft or firm tofu, depending on your preference 1 block (1 pound)
- 1 Tbsp roasted rapeseed oil AKA Caizi You (can substitute any neutral-flavored cooking oil)
- 2 Tbsp lard (can substitute any neutral-flavored cooking oil)
- 120 gram piece of pork shoulder (1/4 pound, could also use ground pork)
- 2 Tbsp minced pickled red Sichuan chili OR pickled Thai bird chili (can substitute plain chopped red bird chili)
- 2 Tbsp minced ginger
- 60 grams young green garlic OR scallion (1 green garlic or 3 scallions)
- 1 tsp fermented black beans AKA Douchi
- 1 Tbsp fermented chili bean paste AKA Doubanjiang
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp MSG (optional)
- 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce (optional)
- 1 Tbsp corn starch, mixed with 3 Tbsp cool water (this is the slurry for thickening the sauce)
To serve
- steamed white rice
Instructions
Chili-Peppercorn Topping
- Ensure that there are no stems or excessive seeds in the dry chilies.
- In a wok or sautee pan, heat up the Tbsp of oil over medium heat and add the chili and peppercorn
- Cook the chili and peppercorns while stirring until everything becomes aromatic and the chilies start to darken, 2-5 minutes depending on your stove.
- Remove chilies and peppercorns from the pan and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Place chilies and peppercorn in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and process into a coarse powder. Reserve for use later.
Mapo tofu
- Cut the tofu into roughly 1 inch cubes. Set aside.
- Hand chop the pork shoulder into a medium mince. Set aside
- Wash the green garlic (or scallions) well to remove any dirt.
- Thinly slice the green garlic (or scallions). Separate the green and white parts. The whites will be used to stir-fry and the green tops will be used as a garnish.
- Roughly chop the fermented black beans and set aside.
- Measure and gather the rest of the ingredients before starting the cooking process. Read the remaining procedures thoroughly before cooking.
- In a wok or pot, bring approximately 2 quarts of water up to a simmer and carefully add the tofu. Cook for one minute just below a simmer. This will firm up the tofu and make it less likely to break apart in later steps.
- Carefully remove the tofu from the water using a strainer or spider. Set tofu aside.
- In a wok or large saute pan, heat rapeseed oil over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. Once the oil is smoking, add the lard. Don't let it smoke up again once the lard is added. (if using regular cooking oil, skip the smoking step and just heat the oil over medium-high heat)
- Add the pork to the pan.
- Using a spoon, break up the pork and cook over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds, or until the pork is cooked through, stirring as it cooks.
- Add green garlic whites, minced ginger, minced pickled peppers, chopped fermented black beans, and doubanjiang.
- Stir fry for about 30 seconds over medium-high heat while stirring constantly. Oil should start to turn red.
- Add 2/3 of the chili-peppercorn topping. Stir fry for 10 seconds over medium-high heat. Reserve the remaining 1/3 to garnish the finished plate at the end.
- Add stock, sugar, MSG, and dark soy. Simmer for a few seconds.
- Add the tofu and turn the heat down so the sauce is simmering, not boiling hard, which could break up the pieces of tofu. Simmer tofu for a minute or 2.
- Stir the slurry with a spoon as the starch will settle to the bottom. Add about 1/4 of the slurry to the pan.
- Gently stir the tofu in order to thoroughly incorporate the slurry into the sauce. Simmer the sauce for 15 to 30 seconds to allow the starch to cook and slightly thicken the sauce. Keep adding the slurry in small additions until a gravy-like consistency is achieved. You may or may not need to use all the slurry.
- Once the desired consistency is achieved, taste the sauce. If it needs a bit of salt or sugar, adjust seasoning now. Plate tofu in a bowl and garnish with the remaining 1/3 of the chili-peppercorn topping and the reserved sliced green garlic tops. Serve with steamed white rice.
