Mapo tofu

Tofu in Chilli Bean Sauce with Beef and Sichuan Pepper

Mapo tofu is soft tofu in a red, oily, numbing and hot sauce built on fermented chilli bean paste, with minced meat and ground Sichuan pepper.

A travel guide cites mapo tofu as a Sichuan dish that uses numbing Sichuan pepper.

The cookbook author poaches 600 g of firm tofu gently first, fries 250 g of beef mince until brown, fries doubanjiang until red, then simmers everything with the tofu and thickens it with cornflour.

The second recipe uses 225 g of pork mince, silken tofu, dried chillies toasted in oil and 160 ml of chicken broth.

Ingredients

For the dish

  • 600 g firm tofu
  • 4 tbsp rapeseed or peanut oil, in all
  • 250 g beef mince
  • 60 ml doubanjiang (Sichuan chilli bean sauce)
  • 2 tbsp salted black beans
  • A pinch of chilli powder
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp grated ginger
  • 6 thick spring onions, cut into 5 cm lengths
  • Salt and sugar, to taste
  • 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
  • 250 to 500 ml water

To serve

  • 1 tsp ground Sichuan pepper

Method

  1. Poach the tofu Bring salted water to just below a simmer. Cut the tofu into 2.5 cm cubes, poach gently for 10 to 15 minutes and drain.
  2. Brown the mince Heat a wok over high heat with 1 to 2 tbsp of the oil and fry the beef mince until well browned, with no pink. Set aside.
  3. Fry the sauce base Add the remaining oil and fry the doubanjiang until the oil turns red. Add the black beans, chilli powder, garlic and ginger and fry for about 1 minute until fragrant.
  4. Simmer Add the drained tofu and enough water to come about halfway up. Stir gently, bring to a simmer, return the beef, add the spring onions and simmer for 5 minutes.
  5. Thicken Adjust the salt and sugar. Add the cornflour mixture a little at a time until the sauce is silky.
  6. Serve Tip into a bowl and scatter with ground Sichuan pepper.

Food safety

Minced beef must be cooked through, with no pink, and the dish piping hot. Hot oil spits: keep children back. Cool leftovers quickly and reheat until piping hot.

Poaching keeps the tofu from breaking.

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