Mapo Tofu
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Mapo Tofu
 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. |
Pock-Marked Mother Chen's Bean Curd (Ma po dou fu) crumb: tofu + beef in chili-bean sauce, numbing pepper Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking includes “Pock-Marked Mother Chen's Bean Curd (Ma po dou fu)”. Fuchsia Dunlop wrote it (2001). Fuchsia Dunlop wrote this first book, on Sichuan cooking. It has the classic beef mapo tofu. The ASIN is the 2003 Norton US edition. Differences: Both fry ground beef and chili bean paste in plenty of oil. Both simmer tofu in stock, thicken it with cornstarch and finish with ground Sichuan pepper. The online version uses silken tofu. It adds garlic, ginger, Shaoxing wine, dark soy and a lot of chili oil. It toasts whole peppercorns in the oil. It drops the fermented black beans. It uses scallion greens instead of baby leeks. |
Trace receipt
- Dish
- Mapo Tofu
- Match
- Somewhat close
- Ancestor
- Pock-Marked Mother Chen's Bean Curd (Ma po dou fu)
- Source
- Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop (2001)
- Differences
Both fry ground beef and chili bean paste in plenty of oil. Both simmer tofu in stock, thicken it with cornstarch and finish with ground Sichuan pepper. The online version uses silken tofu. It adds garlic, ginger, Shaoxing wine, dark soy and a lot of chili oil. It toasts whole peppercorns in the oil. It drops the fermented black beans. It uses scallion greens instead of baby leeks.
- Book recipe
- We do not offer this for print or share because it is not public domain. Buy or borrow the book.
- Online sources
- Serious Eats · Mapo Tofu
YouTube
web writeups - Date
- Sep 2026
Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop (2001).
Fuchsia Dunlop wrote this first book, on Sichuan cooking. It has the classic beef mapo tofu. The ASIN is the 2003 Norton US edition.