Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐)

The definitive Sichuan classic: silken tofu simmered in a fiery, numbing sauce of fermented broad-bean paste, chilli oil, minced pork and freshly toasted Sichuan peppercorns. Serve over plain steamed rice to soak up every drop.

Prep

15 min

Cook

12 min

Total

27 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (18 oz) soft (silken) tofu, do not use firm tofu - it will not absorb the sauce
• •150 g (5¼ oz) pork mince, around 20% fat is ideal; beef mince is an accepted Sichuan variant
• •30 g (2 tbsp) Pixian doubanjiang, the soul of the dish - substitute only with another spicy fermented broad-bean paste
• •20 g (4 tsp) douchi (fermented black beans), rinsed and roughly chopped, or null if unavailable
• •30 g (2 tbsp) chilli oil, include the sediment from the jar
• •15 g (1 tbsp) Sichuan peppercorns, fresh, toasted and freshly ground for the numbing buzz
• •10 g (2 tsp) dried chillies, erjingtiao or other Sichuan dried chillies, snipped
• •20 g (1 small bunch) garlic chives (or garlic leaves), cut into 3 cm pieces; regular scallion greens are a home-kitchen substitute
• •15 g (3 cloves) garlic, finely chopped
• •10 g (1 slice) ginger, finely chopped
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) stock or water, chicken or pork stock preferred
• •8 g (2 tsp) light soy sauce
• •5 g (1 tsp) dark soy sauce, for colour, optional
• •3 g (½ tsp) salt, adjust to taste
• •3 g (1 tsp) sugar, balances the heat
• •8 g (1 tbsp) potato starch (or cornflour), mixed with 20 ml cold water for the slurry
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) neutral oil, for frying
• •1 g (¼ tsp) ground roasted Sichuan peppercorn, for the final flourish

Steps

1. 1 Cut the tofu into 2 cm cubes. Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil, add 5 g salt, slip in the tofu and blanch for 2 minutes - this firms it so it will not crumble. Lift out and set aside in warm water.
2. 2 Place the Sichuan peppercorns and snipped dried chillies in a dry pan over low heat. Toast for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then grind to a coarse powder in a mortar. Set aside.
3. 3 Heat the neutral oil in a wok over high heat until just smoking. Add the pork mince and break it up; stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until it has lost its pink colour and the fat has rendered. Minced pork needs to be cooked right through, so keep going until no pink remains and a instant-read thermometer pushed into the centre of a clump reads at least 71 °C (160 °F).
4. 4 Push the pork to the side. Add the doubanjiang, douchi, ginger and garlic to the oil and stir-fry for 30-45 seconds until the oil turns deep red and smells richly fermented. Keep the pork in the wok as you go.
5. 5 Pour in the stock, soy sauces, sugar and salt. Bring to a vigorous boil and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring the pork through the liquid, so the meat finishes cooking in the sauce. Taste - the sauce should be salty, spicy and intensely savoury.
6. 6 Drain the tofu and gently slide it into the wok. Simmer very gently (no rolling boil or the tofu will break) for 3-4 minutes so the cubes absorb the sauce and the pork is fully heated through.
7. 7 Stir the potato-starch slurry and drizzle it in slowly, gently tilting the wok rather than stirring, until the sauce just coats the back of a spoon. Cook 30 seconds more so the starch is fully cooked through.
8. 8 Drizzle the chilli oil over the top, scatter the garlic chives and most of the toasted peppercorn-chilli powder.
9. 9 Transfer to a warmed dish, finish with the reserved peppercorn powder and serve immediately over plain steamed rice. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat until piping hot.