Mapo Tofu

5 from 2 votes

Mapo Tofu is an easy hot and spicy Sichuan Chinese recipe made with ground pork, tongue numbing Sichuan peppercorns, chili oil, garlic, fresh tofu, fermented chili bean sauce and aromatics served over a bed of rice.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Mains

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 303kcal

Author: HWC Magazine

Ingredients

12 oz Tofu
extra firm
Water
enough to cover the tofu in a pot
1 tablespoon Oil
½ pound Pork
ground
1 inch Ginger
knob peeled and grated
3 cloves Garlic
peeled and minced
1 tablespoon Shao xing wine
(or cooking sherry) – optional
2 tablespoon Doubaojiang (spicy fermented chili bean Sauce)
mashed with fork
1 tablespoon Fermented black bean sauce
½ tablespoon Chili oil to 1 tablespoon (as desired for heat level)
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
toasted and ground
⅔ cup Water
or unsalted Chicken broth
Salt and white pepper
to taste
1 teaspoon Sugar
or sugar alternative (optional as desired to level off the heat in recipe)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
to make cornstarch slurry
2 tablespoon water to make cornstarch slurry
2 Green onions
sliced thinly
Chinese Chili pepper ground (optional- garnish)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Bring salted water to simmer and put tofu into the water to simmer for 2-3 minutes, remove tofu and drain off carefully. Set aside.
Heat oil in a wok/skillet over middle-high heat, cook pork, ginger, garlic and shao xing (or cooking sherry) wine until pork is browned.
Place la doubaojiang (spicy fermented chili bean sauce), fermented black beans sauce, chili oil and ground Sichuan peppercorns in the wok with the cooked pork and cook and stir for 30 more seconds.
Pour water or chicken broth into the wok, bring to boil. Season with sugar and salt to taste. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the spicy sauce.
Add in the cooked tofu and spring onions and gently toss to coat with spicy sauce.
Garnish with a sprinkle of ground Chinese chili peppers if desired.
Serve cooked Mapo Tofu with warm rice and enjoy!

Notes

We like to use firm silken tofu. (Poaching the tofu makes the tofu texture firmer but perfectly smooth and silken)

If you cannot find doubaojiang or need it to be gluten-free, substitute the doubaojiang with 1 tablespoon gluten-free miso paste and 1 tablespoon gluten free chili paste. It is not the best but it will work in a pinch. We must bring to your attention that doubanjiang is NOT a gluten-free product. However if you substitute doubanjiang with a gluten free Korean Gochuang paste and a gluten-free miso paste you are good to go.

Both the doubaojiang and fermented black bean sauce are already salty so check and adjust for seasoning.

If you want to make this recipe vegan substitute the ground pork with either mushrooms or eggplant. You can also use ground beef, turkey, or ground chicken for this recipe instead of ground pork.

Nutrition