This Mapo Tofu Recipe Will Change Your Life (Seriously)
Have you ever been in a Sichuan restaurant, and tasted Mapo Tofu and experienced that feeling of an amazing tingling sensation going over your taste buds? That energizing, tongue-numbing hotness before a ripple of deep satisfying taste? It is an eating challenge you can not forget. However, what I would like to tell you is that you do not need to book in a reservation to have it. That same magic can captured in your kitchen.
Just forget the monotone two-dimensional stuff you may have tasted before. We are going deep in the real thing-a Mapo Tofu recipe that is tasty,has the right aroma, and just the right balance. Start preparing something that is going to melt your heart and astonish any person that will have a chance to taste it.
What Makes Mapo Tofu So Irresistible?
Mapo Tofu does not only imply spicy tofu, it is a harmony of tastes and texture. It is a Chinese dish (originally of the province of Sichuan) named after the so-called heroine Pock Marked Old Woman whose tofu, so they say was the original dish. Its signature flavor profile, malas (Massi 2017, 208), really is what makes this dish.
M A (麻) is the numb, itchy feeling of Sichuan peppercorns.
Lardo (辣) means the peppery heat of chili pepper.
However, together with the salty intensity of fermented broad bean paste and the silky, smooth tofu, this makes the dish very interesting and totally addictive. Because it is a staple or one of the key staples of Sichuan cuisine!
Gathering Your Authentic Ingredients
In order to create really awesome Mapo Tofu, you will require some ingredients that you might not already have in your pantry. A short visit to your nearest Asian market or an online visit to one of the many stores will be worthwhile.
The “Soul” of the Dish: Key Spices:
Doubanjiang (Fermented Broad Bean Paste with chili) must not be cut. It is the salty spicy and funky backbone of the dish. The most genuine flavor is found with the Pixian (郫县) brand. It is a strong smelling red-brown paste.
Sichuan Peppercorns: It is a well-known numbing effect that works due to these little flower buds. After a few minutes of being toasted the beans are ground, which releases the amazing citrusy, floral aroma. Use not black pepper in lieu of them-it is utterly different!
Fermented Black Beans (Douchi – 豆豉): These are salty, pungent and umami and give depth with the doubanjiang. A small quantity is far-reaching.
What Kind of Tofu is Best for Mapo Tofu?
You need a soft custardy and yet shapely tofu. The classical one is silken or soft tofu. The fine texture will create a wonderfully contrasting dish with the stronger, somewhat gravy offerings. Medium-firm or firm tofu will also serve you, in case you are afraid that it may break, whereas silken one really melts in your mouth.
Did You Know? Silken tofu can be made a bit firmer by simmering in salty water a little to avoid little pieces falling out during cooking. The tofu is then processed by what is known as blanching which seasons the food item and adds strength to it.
Step-by-Step Authentic Mapo Tofu Recipe
This recipe will guide you to a restaurant-quality dish in under 30 minutes. It’s faster than ordering takeout!
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Servings: 2-3
Ingredients:
- 1 block (16 oz) silken or soft tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 lb ground beef or pork (optional, see notes for vegetarian version)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece of ginger, minced
- 2 scallions, whites and greens separated, thinly sliced
- 2-3 tbsp Doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste)
- 1 tbsp Douchi (fermented black beans), lightly rinsed and minced
- 1 tsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tsp ground chili flakes (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth (or hot water)
- 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water (slurry)
- 2 tbsp neutral oil (like canola or vegetable)
- 1/2 tsp sugar (optional, to balance flavors)
Instructions:
Aromatics: peel and cut the garlic cloves in small dice, ginger as well as the white part of the scallions. Wash, chop the fermented black beans. Heat (dry) a pan at low heat and toast the Sichuan peppercorns 1-2 minutes till they are aromatic. Allow them to cool and pulverize them into powder with a spice grinder or with mortar and pestle.
Blanch the Tofu (Optional and Recommended): Get a small pot of water, add enough salt (about the same amount) then bring it to a bare simmer. Add the diced tofu carefully and cook by letting fry on high heat 2-3 minutes. This has a seasoning effect on the tofu and makes it firm. With a slotted spoon delicately remove and set aside.
Brown the Meat: Place the oil in a wok or other large skillet over medium-high heat. In case you are using, incorporate the ground meat and cook till it becomes brown and a bit crispy, break it using your spoon.
Bloom the Spices: lower the heat to medium-low. Then, move the meat aside, and put the doubanjiang into oil. Cook the paste in frying oil about a minute, stirring the whole time, until the oil running is brilliant red and the paste aromatic. This is a very important step to obtain flavor! Add ginger, black beans(fermented), chili flakes and the minced garlic. Steeep other 30 secs until all is aromatic.
Preparation of the Sauce: Deglaze the pan by pouring in the Shaoxing wine. Stir in the broth (or water), soy-sauce and optional sugar. Bubble the mixture to a simmer.
Combine and Thicken: Let the blanched tofu to slide in the sauce gently. Press the tofu pieces around that will slightly coat it without breaking the tofu cubes. To give the tofu a chance to absorb the tastes, set it at simmering until 3-5minutes. Stir your cornstarch slurry briefly and pour it gradually in the pan and slowly stir. Even before it has cooled, the sauce will thicken to a beautiful glossy texture.
The Final Touch: Banish heat. Add half of your ground Sichuan peppercorn powder and the green tops of the scallions and stir.
How to Serve and Customize Your Mapo Tofu
Mapo Tofu is best served hot on a bed of fluffy steamed white rice. The rice is the ideal blank slate to the spicy red sauce.
In order to personalize your meal:
Vegan/Veggie Mapo Tofu: Just skip the ground meat. You may replace the 1/2 tsp with small commercially-chopped shiitake mushrooms to add more texture. Make sure that you utilize vegetable broth.
The Spice Winning: It is up to you! Use less doubanjiang and chili flakes to cut down on the heat, more of it to obtain a spicier kick. The Sichuan peppercorns will lend the numbing sensation, not the heat, so you will want to adjust those to taste depending on how much you like the electric pins and needles.
I find some great satisfaction in learning a dish that feels so complicated and exotic. Once you taste that first bite of your handmade Mapo Tofu–the smooth texture of the silken tofu dissolving in your mouth, the fearful fleek of numbing effect of the peppercorns meshes with the meaty spice of the chili bean paste–you will get a feeling of accomplishment by yourself.
You did not create or use a recipe, you did something. Therefore, do not hesitate and get over to your kitchen and convert the core of Sichuan cuisine into a reality on your dining table. You can do this.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I control the heat and numbness? I’m a little nervous!
You will be the headmaster in regards to spice level and you should not be afraid! All that makes it hot (l la ) is the doubanjiang and whatever additional chili flakes you may have, so carefully start with less than you might think. The Szechuan peppercorns give the numbing tingle (má); don some if you are unfamiliar with it, but go easy to begin with. If you find out that you enjoy the feeling, you can always sprinkle yourself an addition of freshly ground Szechuan pepper at the end over your own dish.
Can I make a vegetarian or vegan version of Mapo Tofu?
And it is ever so nice! You can make it vegetarian (or vegan) by omitting the ground pork. You may replace that savory, “meaty” texture with finely chopped shiitake mushrooms, crumbled firm tofu, or a plant-based ground “meat” substitute. Simply make sure that you use vegetable broth rather than chicken broth to leave the dish completely plant-based.
The recipe calls for doubanjiang. What is it and is there a substitute?
Doubanjiang is a fermented bean paste of pickled broad beans (zingy and salty) without which, Mapo Tofu would just be incomplete. It adds a rich delicious savoury umami with which it is extremely challenging to replace. It is available on-line or at most Asian groceries. In a real pinch, you might substitute the mixture of miso paste and a chili garlic sauce, but you really have to go out of your way to find the truly authentically flavoursome doubanjiang.
My tofu always breaks apart into a mess. How do I stop this?
And there is a restaurant trick to do it! Rinse the tofu; simmer low your tofu cubes in lightly salted water about 30 seconds. This is done through heating, or as it is known, blanching the outside of the tofu so it is hard enough not to fall apart when handled. When trying to mix everything inside the wok, do a soft pushing movement doing it with your spatula rather than to vigorously stir things up.
What’s the best kind of tofu to use for this recipe?
To make that old-fashioned, wiggly, and melt-in-your-mouth texture, you should opt for silken tofu or soft tofu. Although it is more tender and should be treated with a fine hand, that is what makes the dish so authentic and luxually fulfilling. Firm tofu will work fine in case you are afraid it will break, but the resulting dish will be less soft and silky than the traditional one.
What does the “mala” flavor in Mapo Tofu mean? Is it just super spicy?
What a question! It is mala that makes this so special! It is the taste that Szechuan food is known by and it is the combination of two different tastes namely: the sensational tingling, tongue numbing effect of Szechuan peppercorns and the hotness of chili peppers. Thus it is not only spicy; it is sophistication and an addictive pairing of numbing and hot that is not of the other sort.
