Spicy & Numbing Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐

AuthorYun Zhang JohnCategory, DifficultyBeginnerRating
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Yields2 Servings
Prep Time15 minsCook Time7 minsTotal Time22 mins

Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐 is probably the most well known tofu dish in the world. While it originated from my hometown of Chengdu, Sichuan. I think variations of it have spread through out the world.

You might think that this is a dish best eaten in restaurants, but I would argue that with the right ingredients and techniques, you can make a plate of authentic Mapo Tofu right in your kitchen!

What should Mapo Tofu taste like?

There are 4 characteristic for an authentic and delicious Mapo Tofu:

1. “Ma” or 麻. It has to be sufficiently “ma” from the Sichuan peppercorns. The numbing, citrous-y flavours from the peppercorns is omnipresent in many Sichuan dishes, but even more so here.

2. “La” or 辣. It should be some what spicy, not over whelmingly so, but you need to balance out the “ma” of the Sichuan peppercorns. Of course, adjust to your personal tolerance…that why I put down chilli powder as optional.

3. Delicate or 嫩. Traditional Mapo Tofu is always made with soft, custard-like tofu, so that the texture of the cooked dish is tender and smooth. This is the preferred mouth feel for this dish.

4. Hot or 烫. This refers to the temperature of the dish when it is served. Mapo Tofu, like many other Chinese dishes, is best when eaten piping hot!

Which tofu to choose?

As mentioned above, try to pick a soft tofu that is smooth and jiggly. You want something that can hold its shape during cooking but melts on contact in your mouth.

Silken tofu- tofu that are not pressed, can also work. However, if handled too much, you run the risk of it falling apart completely during cooking. Likewise, lMedium firm tofu will also work, however, it should be pre-blanched in salted water before hand. Whichever tofu you pick though, these "Mala" 麻辣 - spicy & numbing flavours will always ensure that they taste amazing!

The meat and vegetables

Traditionally, small amounts of ground beef is used to add flavour as well as a textural contrast to the soft tofu. The focus is on the tofu, so the meat is used sparingly or not at all. Personally, I prefer small amounts of ground pork because the extra fattiness works well with the tofu.

Same goes for the vegetables. My recipe calls for Chinese chives, but you can easily substitute for garlic chives or scallions or nothing at all. These aromatic green vegetables bring colour and texture, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the tofu.

Essential ingredients

I’ve talked about the Fermented broad bean chilli paste Pixian DouBanJiang (郫县豆瓣) before. It’s used in many of my recipes and essential here as well. It's not just the spiciness that I’m after here but also for the umami depth of flavour that only fermented products can yield. Often considered the soul of Sichuan cuisine, Pixian DouBanJiang is present in so many dishes.

The other essential ingredient, in my opinion for Mapo Tofu is the Fermented black soy beans or Dou Chi (豆豉). I always use the dry version that’s preserved in salt. It’s got a earthy and complex flavour that is hard to replicate and as with the DouBanJiang, it can be found in many sauces, stir fries and braised dishes.

Finally, the Sichuan Peppercorns! 花椒. So so important here because it is the only thing that'll give you that mouth numbing flavour. Which can be kind of weird at first but addictive once you're accustom.

Do try to source the freshest, best quality peppercorns that you can. You can tell when they are good quality by the vibrant reddish colour, the pungent distinctive scent and the intact husks they come in. And of course, the fresher the peppercorns, the more powerful, so try it out first and adjust the amount used accordingly.

You Will Need

 200 g Soft Tofu
 75 g Minced meatBeef or pork
 1 cup Chinese chives
 1 tbsp Chopped garlic
 1 tbsp Chopped ginger
 1 tbsp Fermented broad bean chilli pastePixian DouBanJiang (郫县豆瓣)
 1 tsp Fermented black soy beansDou Chi (豆豉)
 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
 1 tsp Dry chilli powderoptional
 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn powderAdjust to taste
 ½ cup Slurry2 tbsp water + 1/2 cup water
 1 cup Water
 2 tbsp Oil

Instructions

Prep
1

Finely chop garlic and ginger. Cut chives into strips if using. Set aside.

2

Chop the fermented broad bean chilli paste and fermented soy beans together to bring out the flavours. Set aside.

3

Ground Sichuan peppercorns into a powder and sieve it to get rid of the bigger husks. You should end up with a fine powder. Set aside.

4

Cut tofu into chunks.

5

Make corn starch slurry by combing corn starch and water and mixing until dissolved. Set it aside.

Cooking
6

In a pan or wok over medium hight heat, add oil. Then add the mince meat and quickly bread it apart.

7

When the mince meat has changed colour and cooked through, add in the Chinese cooking wine, stir fry for 10sec.

8

Add the chopped garlic and ginger and stir fry for another 30sec before adding in the chopped chilli paste and soy beans. Stir fry with the meat for 1min to bring out the fragrance.

9

If using, add chilli powder and stir fry with the rest of the ingredients.

10

Now, add the water and then season with soy sauce. When it comes up to a simmer, carefully add in the tofu and gently stir around and leave it to cook for 2min.

11

After a couple of minutes or so, toss in the chives and gently incorporate it with the tofu.

12

Stir up the corn starch slurry to dissolve the starches again and pour it into the simmering tofu mixture in 3 intervals. Mixing the tofu gentle each time to thicken the sauce.

13

Once the tofu is looking glossy and the sauce has thickened, take it off the heat and serve it hot. Finally, before eating, sprinkle the Sichuan peppercorn powder on top.

Ingredients

 200 g Soft Tofu
 75 g Minced meatBeef or pork
 1 cup Chinese chives
 1 tbsp Chopped garlic
 1 tbsp Chopped ginger
 1 tbsp Fermented broad bean chilli pastePixian DouBanJiang (郫县豆瓣)
 1 tsp Fermented black soy beansDou Chi (豆豉)
 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
 1 tsp Dry chilli powderoptional
 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn powderAdjust to taste
 ½ cup Slurry2 tbsp water + 1/2 cup water
 1 cup Water
 2 tbsp Oil

Directions

Prep
1

Finely chop garlic and ginger. Cut chives into strips if using. Set aside.

2

Chop the fermented broad bean chilli paste and fermented soy beans together to bring out the flavours. Set aside.

3

Ground Sichuan peppercorns into a powder and sieve it to get rid of the bigger husks. You should end up with a fine powder. Set aside.

4

Cut tofu into chunks.

5

Make corn starch slurry by combing corn starch and water and mixing until dissolved. Set it aside.

Cooking
6

In a pan or wok over medium hight heat, add oil. Then add the mince meat and quickly bread it apart.

7

When the mince meat has changed colour and cooked through, add in the Chinese cooking wine, stir fry for 10sec.

8

Add the chopped garlic and ginger and stir fry for another 30sec before adding in the chopped chilli paste and soy beans. Stir fry with the meat for 1min to bring out the fragrance.

9

If using, add chilli powder and stir fry with the rest of the ingredients.

10

Now, add the water and then season with soy sauce. When it comes up to a simmer, carefully add in the tofu and gently stir around and leave it to cook for 2min.

11

After a couple of minutes or so, toss in the chives and gently incorporate it with the tofu.

12

Stir up the corn starch slurry to dissolve the starches again and pour it into the simmering tofu mixture in 3 intervals. Mixing the tofu gentle each time to thicken the sauce.

13

Once the tofu is looking glossy and the sauce has thickened, take it off the heat and serve it hot. Finally, before eating, sprinkle the Sichuan peppercorn powder on top.

Spicy & Numbing Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐

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