Silky soft tofu in a fiery, deeply savoury Sichuan sauce of fermented black beans, doubanjiang chilli paste, minced pork and the signature mala numbing spice.
Mapo Tofu is the queen of Sichuan home cooking — a dish of extraordinary depth built from humble ingredients. Silken tofu trembles in a rust-red sauce that delivers simultaneous heat, umami, numbing spice and richness. The dish originates from Chengdu, Sichuan, and was created in the 19th century at Chen's restaurant near the city's north gate. 'Mapo' (麻婆) translates to 'pockmarked old woman', referring to the proprietress, Chen Liu.
Serves 4
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a simmer. Gently add tofu cubes and blanch 2 minutes. This firms the tofu and removes the raw taste. Drain carefully.
Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add doubanjiang and fermented black beans — fry 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the oil turns deep red. Add garlic and ginger — fry 30 seconds.
Add minced pork. Break up lumps and fry until cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Pour in stock. Bring to a simmer. Gently slide in tofu — do not stir vigorously or it will break. Simmer 5 minutes, occasionally spooning sauce over tofu.
Use the back of a spoon to move tofu rather than a spatula.
Drizzle in cornstarch slurry. Gently stir — the sauce will thicken and turn glossy in about 1 minute. Add sesame oil.
Transfer to a bowl. Finish with ground Sichuan peppercorn and spring onions. Serve immediately over steamed rice.
Doubanjiang is the non-negotiable ingredient — it provides the deep fermented, spicy flavour. Lee Kum Kee makes a good widely-available version.
Add the Sichuan pepper only at the end — cooking destroys the volatile aromatic compounds that create the numbing sensation.
For silkiest texture, use a double cornstarch thickening: add half, simmer, add other half.
Vegetarian Mapo Tofu: skip pork, use vegetable stock, replace doubanjiang with a vegan version.
Mapo Aubergine: substitute tofu with fried aubergine cubes for a different texture.
Best eaten fresh. Refrigerate up to 2 days — tofu releases water on storing, sauce thins slightly.
Created at Chen Mapo's restaurant in Chengdu in the 1860s. The proprietress, Chen Liu, had a pockmarked face (hence 'mapo') and cooked for laborers carrying cooking oil, who would bring their own tofu. The dish became a Chengdu institution and the restaurant still operates today as Chen Mapo Tofu Restaurant.
Doubanjiang (豆瓣酱) is a fermented paste of broad beans and chillies, aged for months or years. It's the 'soul of Sichuan cooking' and provides deep umami, heat and complexity. Find it in Asian supermarkets.
Per serving (250g / 8.8 oz) · 4 servings total
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