Mapo Tofu
麻婆豆腐
Silky soft tofu braised in spicy, aromatic Sichuan sauce with fermented bean paste and numbing peppercorns. A signature Sichuan dish delivering bold, complex flavors with characteristic "ma la" spicy-numbing sensation.
Servings
2-3 people
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Spice Level
Hot
Ingredients
Instructions
Prepare one piece of soft tofu, cut into cubes, after water boils add tofu, add one tablespoon salt, cook on high heat for about five minutes then remove and soak in cold water and set aside.
Prepare ingredients, minced ginger, minced garlic, Sichuan pepper, two tablespoons doubanjiang, two tablespoons chili powder.
Heat oil in a pan, when oil temperature is 60% hot, add Sichuan pepper, minced ginger, minced garlic in order on low heat, stir-fry until fragrant.
Add doubanjiang, stir-fry on low heat until red oil comes out.
Add appropriate amount of boiling water, bring to a boil on high heat.
Start seasoning: add half tablespoon dark soy sauce, one tablespoon light soy sauce, one tablespoon oyster sauce, two tablespoons chili powder, a little chicken powder in order.
After seasoning is done, add tofu, use a spoon to separate and spread.
After bringing to a boil on high heat, reduce to low heat, cover and cook for 5 minutes to absorb flavor.
Turn to high heat, add prepared water starch in three batches, stir with a spoon each time after adding.
After the sauce becomes thick, turn off heat, add one tablespoon Sichuan pepper oil, stir well.
After plating, evenly sprinkle one small spoon of Sichuan pepper powder, sprinkle with chopped green onions.
- Adding salt when blanching the tofu can effectively remove the extra beany taste from the tofu.
- For better color, you can add more doubanjiang appropriately; stir-frying out the red oil is key. Be sure to stir-fry continuously over low heat, but don't stir-fry for too long to avoid burning.
- No salt is added throughout the process because doubanjiang and light soy sauce already have some salty taste. You can taste it based on the amount of water added to see if the saltiness is appropriate. If it's not salty enough, you can add some salt to make up for it.
- Adding starch slurry should be done in three steps, with the ultimate goal of thickening the sauce.