Mapo Tofu Recipe

A white bowl containing, Sichuan Chinese tofu dish in red spicy mapo sauce.

5 from 5 votes

Authentic famous Sichuan -style Mapo Tofu recipe made with minced meat, tender tofu, and savoury spicy mapo sauce. Serve it with a bowl of plain rice or noodles for a complete dinner. It's easier and tastier than restaurant!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Course: Main

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: - 5

Calories: 226kcal

Author: Khin

Equipment

Large wok/pan Nonstick or traditional

Ingredients

200 gram Tofu block Firm or medium-firm tofu ( About 7 oz )
200 gram Chicken mince Or beef, pork, or turkey mince (About 7 oz )
2 tbsp Garlic Finely chopped
2 tsp Ginger Finely chopped or grated
2-3 Spring onions Cut thin slices
½ cup Water Warm water/ low-sodium chicken stock ( add more if needed )
3 tbsp Oil Vegetable or neutral flavour oil
1 tsp Corn starch ( mixed it with 2 tbsp of water )

Spices and Seasonings

1 tbsp Light soy sauce ( or all-purpose soy sauce )
1 tbsp Shao Xing wine Chinese cooking rice wine or mirin
1 tbsp Chilli powder Or paprika powder
1 tbsp Crushed chillies dried crushed chilli flakes
1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns Crushed or grinded
1 tbsp Fermented black beans Douchi ( see details in note )
2-3 tbsp Chilli bean paste La Doubanjiang ( see details in note )
2 tsp Sugar ( optional )

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare and gather the ingredients, before you heat the wok.
First, heat the wok/pan over medium heat, drizzle oil and saute the garlic and ginger for a few seconds until fragrant.
Next, add the fermented black beans and follow with the crushed chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. Cook for a few seconds until fragrant. Stir in chilli powder and chilli bean paste.
Place the minced meat and stir fry everything well until the meat is dry and crisp up.
Then pour the warm water in and bring it to simmer. Season the dish with soy sauce, Shao Xing wine, and sugar.
Now add the tofu cubes and stir it gently to combine well with the sauce. Continue cook with low medium heat for another 10 minutes or until the tofu is cooked through.
Add cornstarch slurry to the sauce and stir it gently. Once the sauce starts to get thicken, turn off the heat and finish with chopped spring onions.
Serve immediately while hot with plain rice or noodles.

Notes

Tofu bean curd - Use regular firm tofu, medium-firm, or soft tofu. Do not recommend silken tofu for this recipe. Available at Chinese/Oriental Asian grocery stores or supermarkets' vegan/vegetarian fridge sections.
Protein choice - Instead of chicken mince, you can add beef, lamb, pork, ground turkey, etc.
Fermented black bean - is also called Douchi and is made with salted fermented black soybeans. You can substitute it with black bean garlic sauce if you cannot find it.
Spicy chilli bean sauce/paste - is called La Doubanjiang and is made from fermented broad beans and chillies. A must-add ingredient to this recipe.
Vegetarian mapo tofu - to cook vegetarian and vegan mapo tofu, you can swap minced meat with vegan minced meat, finely chopped fresh mushrooms or dried shiitake mushrooms.
Sichuan peppercorn - It has a sizzling, numbing hot sensation. Crush it into a coarse grind with a mortar and pestle or food processor. Do not suggest adding it whole.
Can you freeze or reheat it? Do not recommend freezing mapo tofu, but if you have any leftovers, you can store them in an air-tight container and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days. Reheat it in the microwave or over the stovetop until piping hot.
Salt: I don't usually add extra salt because the chilli bean sauce, fermented black beans, and soy sauce contain salt. You might want to make a taste test and adjust the salt to taste before plating.

This dish has 226 kcal per serving without rice or noodles. The nutritional facts are calculated approximately, and they can be varied by a number of factors.

Nutrition