Sichuan silken tofu with spicy bean sauce and ground pork — numbing, fiery, deeply savory.
Mapo Tofu is the most famous dish from Sichuan cuisine — silky tofu cubes swimming in a brick-red sauce of fermented broad bean paste (doubanjiang), ground pork, and Sichuan peppercorns that produce a unique numbing 'mala' tingle. The contrast of soft tofu, crunchy peppercorns, and bold heat is unforgettable. Best served over steaming jasmine rice.
Serves 4
Cube tofu. Place in salted hot water for 5 minutes (firms it up). Drain gently.
Heat oil in wok. Add pork and stir-fry until browned and crispy, 5 minutes.
Add doubanjiang, douchi, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry 2 minutes until fragrant and oil turns red.
Add chicken stock, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring to simmer.
Carefully slide tofu into sauce. Don't stir vigorously. Simmer 5 minutes, gently spooning sauce over tofu.
Stir potato starch slurry. Pour into sauce while moving pan. Simmer 1 minute until glossy.
Stir in chili oil. Top with green onions and ground Sichuan peppercorns. Serve immediately over rice.
Don't stir tofu — it breaks up. Fold gently with spatula.
Toasting Sichuan peppercorns intensifies their numbing flavor.
Vegetarian Mapo: replace pork with finely chopped mushrooms.
Less spicy: reduce doubanjiang, increase stock.
Refrigerate up to 3 days. Tofu texture changes slightly when reheated.
Mapo Tofu was created in 1862 by 'Pock-marked Grandma' Chen in Chengdu. 'Ma' refers to her smallpox scars; 'po' means grandmother.
Doubanjiang is fermented broad beans with chilies; miso is fermented soybeans. Different flavors entirely — get authentic doubanjiang from Pixian if possible.
Per serving (350g / 12.3 oz) · 4 servings total
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