Mapo Tofu Recipe

Famous Mapo Tofu Recipe From Sichuan Cuisine. Recipe video below.

📝 Ingredients

• 450 g soft tofu ( ,I am using Szechuan tender lushui tofu)
• 100 g minced meat-beef or pork
• 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. cooking oil ( , divided)
• 1.5 tbsp. Doubanjiang ( ,roughly chopped)
• 1/2 tbsp. fermented black beans ( ,also known as dou-chi and fermented soya beans, roughly chopped)
• 1 tbsp. pepper flakes or powder ( ,optional)
• water or broth for braising ( ,I use 400ml this time)
• 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar ( ,optional for reducing the spiciness)
• 2 scallion whites ( ,finely chopped)
• 4 garlic greens or scallion greens ( ,finely chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves ( ,finely chopped)
• 5 ginger slices ( ,finely minced (around 1 teaspoon))
• 1/2 tbsp. Sichuan pepper for making fresh ground powder
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoon water
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• steamed rice for serving

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Marinate the beef or pork ---
2. 2Add a small pinch of salt and ground pepper in minced beef or pork. Mix well and set aside.
3. 3--- Blanch tofu in water ---
4. 4Cut tofu into square cubes (around 2cms). Bring a large amount of water to a boil and then add a pinch of salt. Slide the tofu in and cook for 1 minute. Move out and drain. This helps to remove the raw soy flavor form tofu.
5. 5--- Get the "mapo" flavor ---
6. 6Get a wok and heat up around 2 tablespoons of oil, fry the minced meat until crispy. Transfer out and leave the oil in.
7. 7Add another 1 tablespoon of vegetable cooking oil and fry doubanjiang for 1 minute over slow fire until the red turns red (bring us a lovely red color dish) and add fermented black beans, garlic, scallion white and ginger, cook for 30 seconds until aroma. Optionally mix pepper flakes in. Pepper flakes should be added at the end because it contains little water and can be burnt easily.
8. 8Pour in water or stock. Add light soy sauce, sugar and half of the cooked beef (providing more flavors to the soup) after the broth boils and let it continue simmering for 2-3 minutes. Place the tofu in, simmer for another 6-8 minutes. The longer time of simmering helps the tofu to absorb the flavors.
9. 9--- Prepare the starch water and thicken the sauce ---
10. 10During the process of simmering, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2.5 tablespoons of water in a small bowl to make water starch. Stir the water starch and then pour half of the mixture to the simmering pot. Back push and wait for around 30 seconds and then pour the other half. You can slightly taste the tofu and add pinch of salt if not salty enough. Add cooked beef to creates some crispy texture and then drizzle sesame oil. Mix well.
11. 11--- Add a numbing feeling and serve! ---
12. 12Transfer out when almost all the seasonings stick to tofu cubes. Sprinkle Szechuan peppercorn powder (to taste)and chopped garlic greens if using.
13. 13Serve immediately with steamed rice.