Mapo Tofu is one of my favorite Chinese dishes. It is in my top 3 favorite Chinese foods, alongside Yangjangpi and Dan Dan noodles!
Mapo Tofu is a dish that comes from the Sichuan province in China. The dish is best described as tofu that is cooked and set in a spicy chili sauce with minced meat. The chili sauce has a strangely addictive quality. And the taste is well-balanced. You will taste the soft silky texture from the tofu, a chew from the pork and then a spicy kick from the chili sauce. The dish pairs well with a bowl of hot rice and a main meat dish.
Please note that the original Sichuan recipe uses Doubanjian (Chili Bean Paste) and black bean paste. We will be replacing these ingredients with Korean Doenjang (soy bean paste) as it has a similar taste.
Our recipe is beginner-friendly and perfect for those who are new to Chinese cooking – like us!
Mapo Tofu - Tofu Lover's Go-To Dish
Ingredients
- Tofu - 500 grams use 1 block of tofu, medium-firm
- Spring onion - 1 stem
- Onion - 0.5 whole
- Minced pork - 100 grams
Chili Sauce
- Soy sauce - 2 Tablespoon
- Korean red chili flakes - 2 Tablespoon
- Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
- Minced garlic - 1 Tablespoon
- Salt - 1 teaspoon
- Doenjang paste - 0.5 Tablespoon
Starch Water
- Potato starch - 1 Tablespoon (or use corn starch)
- Water - 2 Tablespoons
Instructions
Prep Veggies
- Cut tofu block into bite-sized cubes (refer to video for details).
- Dice spring onion, onion, and pork into small pieces.
Season Meat
- Put frying pan on medium-high heat and pour oil into it. Place spring onion into oil.
- Once the spring onion begins to sizzle, put in onion and minced meat. Cook until the meat is no longer red. Then turn off the heat.
- Pour in soy sauce, Korean red chili flakes, sugar, minced garlic, and salt. Stir throughly and mix seasoning into meat.
- Then pour in 1 cup of water. Put in the Doenjang as well.
- Turn on medium-high heat and bring pan back up to a boil while stirring - stir-in that doenjang.
Pour-in Tofu and Thicken Sauce
- While the sauce is coming back up to a boil, make the starch mixture. Mix 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of starch powder in a small cup.
- When your sauce starts to boil, gently place in the tofu cubes. Make sure the tofu are throughly coated.
- Then pour about half of the starch liquid into the sauce - in a circular motion. The sauce will start to thicken. Add more if you need.
- Garnish with scallions and/or sesame seeds.
- Eat with rice
Notes
- Pour-in the starch water mixture slowly – you may not need the full amount.
- Also pour the mixture around your pan to avoid thickening the sauce in only one spot.
- Watch video below for more details
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