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Mapo Tofu
Mapo Tofu

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Mapo Tofu

Online recipe · as published / commonly shared

4 servings · Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min · Total 20 min

We wrote this recipe in the Joy of Cooking style. Every amount, time and step comes from the source's recipe card.

The Sichuan dish of soft tofu in a spicy red sauce. Sichuan pepper adds a tingle.

Heat half in a large wok over high heat until lightly smoking:

2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns, divided (see notes)

Transfer to a mortar and pestle. Pound until finely ground and set aside.

Add the remaining Sichuan peppercorns to the wok with:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Heat over medium high heat until lightly sizzling, about 1 1/2 minutes. Pick up the peppercorns with a wire mesh skimmer and discard, leaving the oil in the pan.

Combine in a small bowl and mix with a fork until homogenous:

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons cold water

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat and add:

1 1/2 pounds medium to firm silken tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Cook for 1 minute. Drain in a colander, being careful not to break up the tofu.

Heat the oil in the wok over high heat until smoking. Add:

1/4 pound ground beef

Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add:

3 garlic cloves grated on a microplane grater

1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated on a microplane grater

Cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add:

2 tablespoons fermented chili bean paste (see note)

2 tablespoons Xiaoxing wine

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1/4 cup low sodium chicken stock

Bring to a boil. Pour in:

the cornstarch mixture

Cook for 30 seconds until thickened. Add the tofu and carefully fold in, being careful not to break it up too much. Stir in the chili oil and half of the scallions:

1/4 cup roasted chili oil (see note)

1/4 cup finely sliced scallion greens

Simmer for 30 seconds longer. Transfer immediately to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining scallions and toasted ground Sichuan pepper. Serve immediately with white rice.

Citations

Cookbook ancestor

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Reference: Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop (2001). Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003 edition, hardcover, ISBN 978-0393051773.

We put this together for personal use. See the citations. This is not a cookbook reprint.