**Mapo Tofu: A Spicy and Savory Sichuan Dish**
Mapo tofu is a classic Sichuan dish that is known for its spicy and savory flavor. It is made with tofu, ground pork, and a variety of other ingredients, including chili oil, garlic, ginger, and fermented bean paste. The dish is typically served over rice and can be adjusted to be as spicy or mild as desired.
In this article, we will provide you with two recipes for mapo tofu: a traditional recipe and a vegetarian recipe. The traditional recipe uses ground pork, while the vegetarian recipe uses mushrooms instead. Both recipes are easy to follow and can be made in under an hour.
We will also provide you with tips on how to choose the best tofu for mapo tofu, as well as how to make your own chili oil at home. So whether you are a fan of spicy food or you are looking for a new vegetarian dish to try, be sure to give mapo tofu a try!
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
MAPO TOFU
This spicy, aromatic Sichuan dish is recognizable from the citrus aroma of Sichuan peppercorns and the spicy fermented flavor of hot bean sauce. According to legend, Mapo Tofu (Pock-Marked Grandma's Tofu) was named after an old Chinese woman who served the dish to her restaurant guests. She became known for it and people began referring to the dish as the pock-marked woman's tofu.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 25m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Heat a wok over medium-high heat and toast the Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Remove from heat and transfer the peppercorns to a bowl to cool. Coarsely grind the peppercorns in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle and set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together the chicken broth, hot bean paste, cornstarch, hot sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar; set aside.
- Heat the wok over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil, garlic, ginger and fermented black beans and cook until fragrant, stirring often, about 10 seconds. Add the ground pork and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat with a wooden spatula or spoon, until it is browned, 3 to 5 minutes. (Lower the heat to medium if the garlic starts to burn.) Add the reserved ground peppercorns, the tofu and the soy sauce mixture. Cook, stirring once to combine, until the sauce is reduced, thickened and glossy, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and garnish with the scallions. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
VEGAN MA PO TOFU
Provided by Elaine Louie
Categories easy, weekday, main course
Time 1h
Yield 2 servings
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- In a wok over medium heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add 1/2 teaspoon Szechwan pepper, and stir rapidly for 30 seconds. Add garlic, and stir rapidly for 30 seconds. Remove wok from heat, and add oyster sauce, 1 cup water, hot bean paste, soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon chili sesame oil, Thai chili, a pinch of white pepper, vinegar and tofu.
- Place wok over high heat and cook until bubbling, about 3 to 5 minutes.Add the preserved vegetable. As it begins to heat up, adjust hot bean paste as desired, a teaspoon at a time, up to 3 teaspoons. (This amount will make it tear-inducing hot, the fieriness that Susur Lee likes.) The sauce will begin to thicken, just slightly.
- In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Pour into the wok, stirring very gently,so as not to break up the tofu. Simmer until sauce is glossy, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Transfer to a medium serving bowl, and garnish with drained julienned ginger, coriander leaves and stems, a drizzle of sesame oil, red bell pepper, and, if desired, a sprinkle of Szechwan pepper. If desired, serve with rice.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 356, UnsaturatedFat 19 grams, Carbohydrate 19 grams, Fat 24 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 22 grams, SaturatedFat 4 grams, Sodium 1286 milligrams, Sugar 6 grams
MA PO TOFU (FROM COOKING LIGHT)
Tried this the other day and loved it! If you use a couple of 8 oz. packages of diced tofu, found in the produce section of your grocery store, and bottled minced ginger, this goes together in no time. A rice cooker does a great job with brown rice, too, and will keep the rice warm until serving. A quick, healthy dish from Cooking Light.
Provided by LonghornMama
Categories One Dish Meal
Time 45m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Place tofu slices on several layers of paper towels, cover with additional paper towels. Place a dinner plate on top of covered tofu; let stand 30 minutes. Remove plate, discard paper towels. Cut tofu slices into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Combine broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, oyster sauce and chili garlic sauce, stirring with a whisk.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 4 minutes or until done, stirring to crumble. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tofu; cook 4 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Add broth mixture to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
- Serve tofu mixture over rice. Sprinkle with onions.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 204.3, Fat 7, SaturatedFat 2.4, Cholesterol 20.4, Sodium 412.5, Carbohydrate 27, Fiber 2.1, Sugar 0.7, Protein 8.1
MA PO TOFU
Spicy Tofu and Ground Pork. This is an adaptation of recipe #78452 by Daydream. I couldn't find many of the items so I improvised. It is essential that you prep everything before starting this recipe, it goes fast once you get started.
Provided by Teddys Mommy
Categories One Dish Meal
Time 1h10m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Place 1 tablespoon of the chopped ginger into a large zip-lock bag, and reserve the remainder.
- Add the remaining marinade ingredients to the bowl (1 sliced green onion, 1 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons dry sherry, 2 teaspoons cornstarch), and mix well.
- Add the ground pork, mix marinade and ground pork together, and put in refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove hard stems from Shiitake mushrooms and slice finely.
- Blanch the tofu in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain.
- Combine the garlic with the reserved ginger, and process together with a stick blender or spice grinder until they form a thick paste.
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the Sesame and Olive Oil (2 tbsp sesame, 1 tbsp olive) and just as it is starting to smoke, add the garlic/ginger pasted and stir-fry, stirring continuously for approximately 30 seconds (take care not to burn the mixture).
- Next add the Black Bean Hot Sauce, Szechwan Stir Fry Sauce, Chili Oil, Shiitake mushrooms, and stir-fry for approximately 60 seconds.
- Stir meat mixture, add it to the skillet, and continue to stir-fry over high heat for two to three minutes, until it looses its pinkish color.
- Toss in the tofu and the sliced green onions and continue to fry for about 45 seconds.
- Pour in the soy sauce and water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to moderate and cook for a couple of minutes.
- If there appears to be too much liquid in the pan contents, thicken with a little cornstarch and water.
- Serve with steamed rice.
Tips:
- Use a variety of tofu. Firm or extra-firm tofu is best for Mapo Tofu, as it holds its shape well and absorbs the sauce better. However, you can also use softer tofu, such as silken tofu, if you prefer a creamier texture.
- Press the tofu before cooking. This helps to remove excess water from the tofu, which results in a firmer, more flavorful tofu.
- Use a good quality chili oil. The chili oil is a key ingredient in Mapo Tofu, so it's important to use a good quality oil that has a rich, flavorful taste. You can find chili oil in most Asian grocery stores.
- Don't overcook the tofu. Tofu is a delicate ingredient, so it's important not to overcook it. Otherwise, it will become tough and chewy.
- Serve Mapo Tofu with rice. Mapo Tofu is traditionally served with rice, which helps to soak up the delicious sauce.
Conclusion:
Mapo Tofu is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It's a great way to get your daily dose of vegetables, and it's also a good source of protein. If you're looking for a new and exciting dish to try, be sure to give Mapo Tofu a try.
Are you curently on diet or you just want to control your food's nutritions, ingredients? We will help you find recipes by cooking method, nutrition, ingredients...
Check it out »
You'll also love