SichuanTofuComfort food
Mapo Tofu
Ma Po Dou Fu
Mapo tofu is bold, comforting, and much easier than it looks. The key is using medium or soft tofu gently and letting doubanjiang, a Sichuan chili bean paste, season the dish from the inside out.
Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Serves
4
Heat
Hot
Instructions
- 1
Brown the ground meat in a hot skillet until lightly crisp at the edges.
- 2
Add doubanjiang, garlic, and ginger. Stir until the oil turns red and fragrant.
- 3
Add stock and soy sauce, then slide in the tofu cubes.
- 4
Simmer gently for 5 minutes so the tofu absorbs the sauce.
- 5
Stir in cornstarch slurry in two additions until the sauce thickens. Finish with Sichuan peppercorn and scallions.
Cooking tips
- Do not aggressively stir after adding tofu; push it gently with a spatula.
- Serve over steamed rice to balance the heat.
- For less heat, start with 1 tablespoon doubanjiang and use only a small pinch of Sichuan peppercorn.
- Allergen note: contains soy and wheat; some sauces may also contain sesame depending on the brand.
Substitutions
- Use finely chopped mushrooms or plant-based ground meat for a vegetarian version.
- Gochujang is not an equal substitute for doubanjiang. In a pinch, use chili crisp plus a little miso, but the flavor will be different.