Mapo Tofu
Serves 2–3 with rice · Prep: 10 minutes · Cook: 20 minutes · Total: about 30 minutes
Mapo tofu is one of my comfort dishes to make when I want dinner to feel like I cooked, but I don’t want to spend two whole hours on the thing. With some soft tofu, a little ground pork, doubanjiang, garlic, and ginger, the magic comes together really quickly.
I make it pretty often because once the ingredients are in the fridge, it’s easy to throw together.
I like it saucy, with soft tofu and some red oil around the edges, but not so thick that it feels like gravy. It should be the kind of thing you spoon over rice and eat right away.
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 block soft or medium tofu, about 14–16 oz
- 1 teaspoon salt, for blanching water
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 3–4 oz ground pork or beef
- 2 tablespoons Pixian doubanjiang, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fermented black beans, chopped
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1–2 teaspoons ground dried chile or chili flakes
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon toasted ground Sichuan peppercorn, plus more to finish
- 1½ teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
- 1–2 tablespoons chili oil (optional but good)
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Blanch the tofu
Cut the tofu into ¾-inch cubes. Bring a small pot of water to a gentle simmer, add the salt, and slide in the tofu. Simmer gently for 2–3 minutes, then keep it warm in the water while you make the sauce. This firms it slightly and keeps it from breaking.
- 2
Brown the meat
Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork or beef and cook until browned and a little crisp at the edges.
- 3
Fry the aromatics
Lower the heat to medium. Add the doubanjiang and fermented black beans. Fry for 1–2 minutes, until the oil turns red and fragrant. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile flakes. Stir for another 20–30 seconds.
- 4
Build the sauce
Add the stock, soy sauce, sugar, and Sichuan pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- 5
Add the tofu
Drain the tofu and gently slide it into the sauce. Simmer for 4–5 minutes, spooning sauce over the tofu rather than stirring aggressively.
- 6
Thicken the sauce
Stir the cornstarch slurry, then drizzle in about half. Gently push the tofu around until the sauce thickens. Add more slurry only if needed; the sauce should be glossy and loose, not gluey.
- 7
Finish
Finish with chili oil and more ground Sichuan pepper. Top with scallion if using.
Recipe notes
Cook’s notes
- To match the photo: Use soft tofu, not firm. Keep the sauce a little oily and glossy, with visible red chile oil pooling around the edges. Go lighter on scallions and heavier on doubanjiang and chili oil for that restaurant-style look.
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