**Mapo doufu**, also known as "pockmarked tofu with chili sauce", is a classic Sichuan dish and one of China's most renowned culinary creations. This flavorful and iconic dish features soft, delicate tofu braised in a spicy, savory sauce made with fermented bean paste, minced meat, and various aromatics. The result is a symphony of flavors and textures, with the smooth tofu absorbing the bold and spicy sauce, creating a perfect balance of flavors and a stunning visual presentation. In this article, we will explore two variations of this beloved dish: the traditional Mapo doufu and a vegetarian version that uses mushrooms instead of meat.
Here are our top 4 tried and tested recipes!
MAPO TOFU
This mapo tofu recipe is the true blue, authentic real deal-the spicy, tongue-numbing, rice-is-absolutely-not-optional mapo tofu that you get in the restaurants!
Provided by Kaitlin
Categories Tofu
Time 35m
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- First, we toast the chilies. If you have homemade toasted chili oil, you can skip this step. Heat your wok or a small saucepan over low heat. Add ¼ cup of the oil and throw in the fresh and dried peppers. Stir occasionally and heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes, ensuring that the peppers don't burn. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Heat the remaining ¼ cup of oil in your wok over medium heat. Add the ginger. After 1 minute, add the garlic. Fry for another minute, and then turn up the heat to high and add the ground pork. Break up the meat and fry it until it's cooked through. Add your ground Sichuan peppercorns and stir for about 15-30 seconds, taking care to not let it burn, as it will turn bitter if it does.
- Add the spicy bean sauce to the mixture and stir it in well. Add ⅔ cups of chicken broth to the wok and stir. Let this simmer for a minute or so. While that's happening, ready your tofu and also put a ¼ cup of water in a small bowl with your cornstarch and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to your sauce and stir. Let it bubble away until the sauce starts to thicken. (If it gets too thick, splash in a little more water or chicken stock.)
- Then add your chili oil from before-peppers and all! If you are using homemade chili oil, ONLY use the standing oil, as it's likely that you have salted it and you only want the oil, not additional salt. Stir the oil into the sauce, and add the tofu. Use your spatula to gently toss the tofu in the sauce. Let everything cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the sesame oil and sugar (if using) along with the scallions and stir until the scallions are just wilted.
- Serve with a last sprinkle of Sichuan peppercorn powder as a garnish if desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 335 kcal, Carbohydrate 8 g, Protein 11 g, Fat 29 g, SaturatedFat 5 g, Cholesterol 27 mg, Sodium 126 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 2 g, ServingSize 1 serving
MAPO TOFU RECIPE
Famous Mapo Tofu Recipe From Sichuan Cuisine. Recipe video below.
Provided by Elaine
Categories Main Course
Time 20m
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Add a small pinch of salt and ground pepper. Mix well and set aside.
- Cut 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.
- Get a wok and heat up around 2 tablespoons of oil, fry the minced meat until crispy. Transfer out and leave the oil in.
- Add 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.
- Pour 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.
- During 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.
- Transfer out when almost all the seasonings stick to tofu cubes. Sprinkle Szechuan peppercorn powder (to taste)and chopped garlic greens if using.
- Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 501 kcal, Carbohydrate 21 g, Protein 22 g, Fat 35 g, SaturatedFat 6 g, Cholesterol 35 mg, Sodium 1072 mg, Fiber 3 g, Sugar 6 g, ServingSize 1 serving
SPICY SICHUAN TOFU (MAPO DOUFU)
Provided by Eileen Wen Mooney
Categories Wok Pork Stir-Fry Quick & Easy Dinner Meat Tofu Soy Sauce Gourmet Dairy Free Tree Nut Free
Yield Makes 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Grind peppercorns in grinder and set aside.
- Cut tofu into 3/4-inch cubes and pat dry.
- Heat wok over high heat until it begins to smoke, then pour oil down side and swirl to coat bottom and side. Stir-fry pork until no longer pink. Add bean sauce, black beans, and chile powder and stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in stock, soy sauce, sugar, tofu, and a pinch of salt. Simmer, gently stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, stir together cornstarch and water until smooth.
- Stir cornstarch mixture into stir-fry and simmer, gently stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Stir in scallions and simmer 1 minute. Serve sprinkled with Sichuan pepper.
- **Serve with:**perfect steamed rice
MAPO TOFU
Even if you're not keen on tofu, give this mapo tofu a go. It's hot and really strongly flavoured thanks to chilli bean paste, fermented black beans and more
Provided by Diana Henry
Categories Dinner, Lunch, Main course, Supper
Time 30m
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Get all the ingredients ready before you start cooking and set them out in bowls. Drain the tofu and cut it into 1.5cm cubes. Put it in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Leave this while you get on with everything else.
- Heat a wok and pour in the groundnut oil. Get this really hot and fry the pork until it's crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon but leave the oil behind.
- Add the bean paste and cook, stirring for a few mins until fragrant, then add the black beans, ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring, for a min or so, then add the stock and let it bubble away.
- Stir the cornflour and water into the mixture in the wok, drain the tofu and stir it into the sauce. Tip in the spring onions and the mince.
- Add the chilli oil, if using, and sprinkle over the Sichuan peppercorns. The sauce shouldn't need seasoning with salt, as many of the ingredients are salty already. Serve with boiled white rice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 310 calories, Fat 21 grams fat, SaturatedFat 4 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 6 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 2 grams sugar, Fiber 3 grams fiber, Protein 22 grams protein, Sodium 1 milligram of sodium
Tips:
- Use soft or silken tofu for a smooth and creamy texture.
- Press the tofu before using to remove excess water.
- Marinate the tofu in a mixture of soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch to add flavor.
- Use a variety of chili peppers to achieve the desired level of heat.
- Stir-fry the chili peppers, ginger, and garlic until fragrant before adding the other ingredients.
- Use a combination of light and dark soy sauce for a richer flavor.
- Add a teaspoon of sugar to balance the heat of the chili peppers.
- Simmer the sauce for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Serve the mapo tofu with steamed rice or noodles.
Conclusion:
Mapo tofu is a classic Sichuan dish that is loved for its complex flavors and textures. This recipe is a delicious and easy-to-follow guide that will help you create a restaurant-quality mapo tofu at home. With its combination of tender tofu, spicy sauce, and aromatic spices, this dish is sure to be a hit with your family and friends.
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