Mapo Tofu

Ingredients

Tofu

• 600 gsoft or silken tofu
• 1 litrewater
• 1 tbspsalt

Meat

• 150 gminced beef, or minced pork

Sauce base

• 3 tbspoil
• 2 tbspdoubanjiang, Pixian chilli bean paste
• 1 tbspdouchi, fermented black beans, rinsed and chopped
• 1 tbspground dried chilli
• 1 tbspminced garlic
• 1 tbspminced ginger

Liquid

• 400 mlchicken or beef stock
• 1 tbsplight soy sauce
• 1 tspsugar

Thickening

• 2 tbsppotato or corn starch
• 4 tbspcold water

To finish

• 1 tbspSichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground
• 3spring onions, sliced
• 1 tspchilli oil

To serve

• steamed rice

Directions

1. Cut the tofu into 2 cm cubes with a knife in the packet or on a plate, handling it as little as possible. Bring the water to a bare simmer with the salt and slide the tofu cubes in for 2 minutes. This salted blanch does two jobs: it firms the outside just enough to survive the pan, and it draws out the raw soy taste.
2. Lift the cubes out with a slotted spoon and hold them in warm water. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry pan for a minute, then grind them to a powder and set them aside.
3. Heat the oil and fry the mince over a high heat until it is dry, browned and slightly crisp. Cook the meat until it is genuinely dry rather than merely no longer pink. It should be crumbly, and this is what gives the sauce its savour.
4. Turn the heat down and add the doubanjiang, frying it slowly for 2 to 3 minutes until the oil turns deep red. Add the douchi, ground chilli, garlic and ginger and fry another minute. Rinse the fermented black beans before chopping them, because they are packed in a great deal of salt.
5. Pour in the stock, add the soy and sugar, and bring it to a simmer. Slide the drained tofu in and simmer very gently for 5 minutes.
6. Mix the starch with the cold water and add it in three separate additions, letting the sauce return to a simmer between each. The sauce should be thick enough to hold the tofu but still flow.
7. Turn off the heat and scatter the ground Sichuan peppercorn over the top. Add the peppercorn powder at the very end, off the heat. Finish with the spring onions and a spoonful of chilli oil, and serve at once with plenty of rice. Serve it fiercely hot in the bowl; a lukewarm mapo tofu loses most of its point.

Technique

• Pixian doubanjiang is the specific paste and other chilli bean pastes change the dish noticeably.
• The classic description lists seven qualities: numbing, hot, scalding, flaky, tender, fragrant and rich.
• Beef is the older choice in Chengdu; pork is the common home substitute.

Substitutions

• Any Sichuan chilli bean paste in place of Pixian.
• Finely chopped shiitake in place of the mince, for a vegetarian version.

Variations

• Vegetarian, with mushrooms and vegetable stock.
• Made milder, with less chilli but the peppercorn kept.
• The Japanese mābō dōfu, sweeter and much less numbing.

History

Invented around 1862 at a Chengdu shop near Wanfu Bridge by a pockmarked cook’s wife, Chen Mapo, who fed passing oil porters.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mapo Tofu?

Mapo Tofu is a main from China: sichuan tofu in fiery chili-bean sauce with minced pork and numbing peppercorns. Invented around 1862 at a Chengdu shop near Wanfu Bridge by a pockmarked cook’s wife, Chen Mapo, who fed passing oil porters.

How long does Mapo Tofu take to make?

Mapo Tofu takes 15 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Mapo Tofu?

Yes, within limits. Any Sichuan chilli bean paste in place of Pixian. Finely chopped shiitake in place of the mince, for a vegetarian version.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mapo Tofu?

Heat the oil and fry the mince over a high heat until it is dry, browned and slightly crisp. Cook the meat until it is genuinely dry rather than merely no longer pink. It should be crumbly, and this is what gives the sauce its savour.