I am addicted to the magical combination of silky soft tofu and spicy pork. If you’re in the know, you know what I’m talking about: mapo tofu.
What is mapo tofu?
Mapo tofu is a famous Sichuan tofu dish that has many mountains, the signature numbing point of good Sichuan food. If you haven’t had Sichuan food before, you might be intimidated by its fiery red color, but once you get over that heat, you’ll be coming back for more!
If you like tofu and you like spicy, you’ll love mapo tofu. And, if you’re not too spicy, the good thing about this dish is that you can adjust the level of spiciness by varying how many pinches of Sichuan pepper you finish with.
If you’re not familiar with it, here’s a quick rundown: mapo tofu is a super popular Chinese dish from the Sichuan province. It has soft tofu in a spicy bright red sauce with some ground pork. The dish’s name roughly translates to “grandma’s pocket tofu”, kind of like old grandma’s tofu. There are many mapo tofus out there, but this is a traditional, authentic mapo tofu recipe.
How to make mapo tofu
Once you have your ingredients on hand, it’s a pretty simple recipe. You start by blanching your tofu in salted water. Then, it’s just a matter of browning the pork and doubanjiang, adding some chicken stock and thickening it up. The roasting of the doubanjiang and the release of the oils is what makes everything super delicious and aromatic. The sauce is thickened a bit with cornstarch and everything is shiny and golden and sticks perfectly to your tofu cubes. It’s a match made in heaven for rice.
- Blanch the tofu. Gently boil the tofu over low heat in salted water, then remove the pot from the heat and let it sit in its salt bath.
- Fry. Fry the pork so that it browns slightly, then add the doubanjiang and fry so that the heat releases its spicy red oils. Throw in the garlic and ginger.
- Sauce. Add the chicken stock and soy sauce and bring everything to a boil. Add the drained tofu cubes and mix with a corn slurry. Simmer until the sauce is thick and glossy, then you’re good to go!
Main ingredients
There are two main ingredients for this tofu: chili bean paste (doubanjiang) and Sichuan peppercorns. You can find both at your Asian grocery store. The other ingredients are pretty standard fare.
- Doubanjiang. Sometimes, with authentic recipes, it’s that ingredient that you have to look far and wide for. You’ll be searching the aisles wondering, is this worth it? I’m here to tell you it is! Doubanjiang is a spicy fermented mixture of soybeans and beans. It’s been called the soul of Sichuan cooking, and it’s what will give your mapo tofu that glorious red hue. When shopping, you want to look for the Pixian (an area in China) variety if you can. It’s like, if you can, you want to buy champagne from the Champagne region of France. But just like champagne, if you can only find sparkling wine, don’t bother, Lee Kum Kee also sells an easy-to-find Cantonese-style doubanjiang that they call chili bean sauce/toban djan. You can also always find it online. Read more about doubanjiang here.
- Sichuan pepper. As for Sichuan peppercorns, you can buy pre-ground Sichuan peppercorns, but if they are available, choose whole Sichuan peppercorns and toast and grind them yourself. The spice will be much fresher and more noticeable if you do this.
- Soft tofu. Soft tofu is the key to authentic mapo tofu. The tofu should be soft, creamy and smooth.
- Ground pork. There’s just a little bit of ground pork in this dish, just enough to compliment the tofu.
- Ginger and garlic. Ginger and garlic add an aromatic punch.
- Chicken spray. The chicken broth is what makes up the bulk of the sauce.
- Corn starch. We will use cornstarch as a thickener to make the sauce soft and smooth.
- I am willow. Just a touch of soy for some extra umami.
What does mapo tofu taste like?
Mapo tofu tastes spicy: both conventionally hot-on-your-tongue spicy and málà, a type of spiciness that is characteristic of Sichuan food. The sauce is nicely oily, which amps up the spiciness and flavor. It also has a deep flavor to it thanks to the umami from Doubanjiang. Also key is the texture play that the mapo tofu has: the silky creaminess of the soft tofu coats your tongue, and the crispy bits of pork add a nice contrast to the overall softness and cleanness of the dish. Mapo tofu is soul food and perhaps the ultimate comfort food, especially when paired with perfectly fluffy rice.
How spicy is mapo tofu
The delightfully numbing spice of mapo tofu comes from Sichuan peppercorns, which have a delightfully numbing effect, making it so you can eat more and more of the spice until you realize you’re totally delicious. It’s called “málà” in Chinese and is prized in Sichuan cooking. Málà literally means numb (ma 麻) hot / spicy (la 辣). Hot spicy guys love Sichuan peppercorns because they are aromatic and have a specific flavor. Warning: Sichuan peppercorns are very spicy. If you have high quality or fresh peppercorns, they are more blunt and powerful. In this recipe, we’re not going to cook the peppercorns because they tend to go toasty if you’re not careful and can cause bitterness. Instead, you’ll finish your dish with a generous sprinkling, which is perfect for adjusting spice levels right at the table.
In tofu
I have to say, the most frequently asked questions about mapo tofu are of the following variety: What kind of tofu for mapo tofu? Can you use firm tofu in mapo tofu? It seems like everyone should know: which tofu is? Many recipes out there say you can use firm or medium tofu, and of course you can, but if you want an authentic mapo tofu, go for soft tofu. The tofu should be smooth and pliable and almost fall apart the moment your chopsticks touch it. I think many recipes recommend firm or medium tofu because soft tofu is extremely difficult to work with. But I believe in you. Make soft tofu. It’s worth it!
Pro tip: to help your tofu hold together when you toss it in the sauce, blanch it. To blanch tofu: simply put it in boiling salted water for a few minutes and let it sit. Blanching the tofu in salt water will season it and help firm it up. The tofu will become even creamier and pliable while retaining its shape when you mix it with the mapo sauce. It also has the bonus of making the tofu warm so you don’t have to heat it as much in the sauce.
Can mapo tofu be vegetarian/vegan?
Yes! You can skip the ground pork and it will be vegan. If you have some dried shiitake mushrooms on hand, soak them, drain, chop and saute instead of pork. Swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
What do you eat mapo tofu with?
Mapo tofu is traditionally served with rice. You can also have mapo tofu with noodles (or zoodles), bread, you name it. It basically goes with any carb. We’ve also made mapo tofu pizza and mapo tofu poutine. And of course, it goes great with wontons.
It tastes good in zoodles too!
Frequently asked questions
- Can I make this vegan/vegetarian?
Easy! Just replace the pork with finely chopped mushrooms. The ground pork isn’t really the star of the show, so using rehydrated shiitakes or even button mushrooms helps add umami. - Substitute for doubanjiang
To be honest, if you’re looking to make an authentic mapo tofu, you can’t go past doubanjiang. If you don’t want to order doubanjiang online (buy this brand: Pixian bean paste) - Substitute for Sichuan peppercorns
There is no substitute for málà of Sichuan peppercorns. If you are adverse to spices, you can definitely leave them out. Between doubanjiang and sichuan peppercorns, doubanjiang is infinitely more necessary. - Substitute for ground pork
If you want to use a different ground meat, that’s perfectly fine. Ground chicken or turkey or even ground beef (make sure to use a slightly higher fat percentage) will all work. - How to make non-spicy mapo tofu?
Reduce the amount of doubanjiang to 1/2 tablespoon and leave out the Sichuan peppercorns.
Mapo Tofu
You may be afraid of the red color of fire, but once you get over your fear of the heat, you’ll be coming back for more, more, more.
It serves 4
- 14 oz soft tofu 1 block
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/4 £ ground pork
- 1.5 tablespoon doubanjiang torn apart
- 2 carnation garlic minced
- 2 SPOON ginger grated or finely chopped
- 1 CUP chicken stock Sodium/salt free preferred
- 1 tablespoon I am willow
- 1 tablespoon corn starch shaken in 2 tablespoons of water
- 1/2 SPOON ground sichuan pepper or for taste
- soft onions thinly slicedto finish
Nutrition facts
Mapo Tofu
Amount per service
Calories 150
Calories from fat 74
% Daily Value*
Fat 8.2 g13%
Saturated fat 1.3 g8%
cholesterol 22 mg7%
Sodium 716 mg31%
potassium 257 mg7%
Carbohydrates 5.6 g2%
Fiber 0.3 g1%
Sugar 1.9 g2%
Protein 14.5 g29%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
