Easy Chinese Dishes for Foreigners - Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) is a famous Sichuan dish made of silky tofu and minced meat in a spicy, numbing sauce. The name literally translates to “Pockmarked Old Woman’s Tofu”. Legend says it was created by a woman with pockmarks on her face who ran a small restaurant in Chengdu during the Qing Dynasty

Appearance: A vibrant red sauce, slightly oily, with tofu cubes floating alongside minced meat.

Texture: Silky tofu contrasts with chewy minced meat, while the sauce coats everything richly.

Taste: Deep umami from fermented pastes, fiery chili heat, and tingling numbness from peppercorns.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Soft tofu 1 box
Minced pork 200g
Garlic 3-4 cloves
Rice wine 1 tablespoon
Scallion 1 stalk

Marinade:
Soy sauce  1 tablespoon
Spicy bean paste  1.5 tablespoons
Sugar  1 teaspoon
White pepper powder  a pinch

Preparation: Thaw the ground meat, dice the soft tofu, chop the scallions, and mince the garlic.

1. Boil a pot of water with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add diced tofu and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Without oil, add minced pork and stir-fry until the pork releases moisture and oil (to remove any gamey smell).

*Make sure the minced pork is cooked until all the moisture is evaporated before proceeding to the next step!

3. Sauté minced garlic in the oil of ground meat until fragrant, then add rice wine and stir-fry over high heat until fragrant. Add spicy bean paste and stir-fry evenly until fragrant.

4. Next, add soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper powder, stir-fry evenly, then add the tofu back in. Add water until it covers half of the ingredients, cover the pot, and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.

*Because the saltiness of different brands of spicy bean paste varies slightly, you can taste it at this point. If it's too salty, add more water and simmer; if it's too bland, add a little salt.

5. Once the sauce has slightly reduced and the tofu has taken on the sauce color, turn off the heat. Plate it and sprinkle with chopped green onions to finish.

The spiciness of Mapo Tofu comes from the spicy fermented bean paste.
Because it's stir-fried, it's not too pungent!
If you don't eat spicy food, simply replace the spicy fermented bean paste with a non-spicy one!