Many years ago, The Husband asked me if I could make Mapo Tofu. He has had it on his travels for work and wanted to enjoy this traditional Sichaun dish at home.
The dish required a few specialty items that I needed to order online, but you can find them easily at an Asian grocery store if you have one in your hood. Those rare ingredients are fermented black beans, Sichaun chili bean paste, Shaoxing rice wine and ground Sichaun pepper.
Everything else is always available in my regular old Shop Rite.
As always with stir fry dishes, I recommend having all of your ingredients prepped and measured before firing up the wok!
Mapo Tofu
Course: MainCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Medium2
servings30
minutes20
minutesIngredients
- For the tofu
1 16 oz. package regular tofu (The Jersey Girl uses firm)
1 tsp. salt
- For the sauce
2 Tbsp. neutral cooking oil
3.5 oz. minced beef or pork (The Jersey Girl uses pork)
1 tsp. minced ginger
2 Tbsp. Sichuan chili bean paste
1 Tbsp. fermented black beans, rinsed and chopped
1 Tbsp. ground chili (or chili flakes) or to taste (The Jersey Girl uses ground chili)
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Shaoxing rice wine
2 cups water or unsalted stock (The Jersey Girl uses beef stock)
3 Tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with 2 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. ground Sichuan pepper (or to taste)
1 stalk scallions, finely chopped
Serve with plain cooked rice
Directions
- Blanch: Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes. Gently slide them into a wok or a pot filled with water. Add the salt. Bring the water to a boil then simmer for a minute. Drain the tofu and set aside.
- Fry: Heat up empty wok until hot. Then, add the oil. Put in minced pork along with minced ginger. Stir fry over high heat until the meat becomes pale.
- Add Sichuan chili bean paste, fermented black beans, chili powder/flakes and minced garlic. Fry until fragrant.
- Braise: Pour in Shaoxing rice wine and stock. Bring to a boil then gently slide in the tofu. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Add half of the cornstarch water mixture (Make sure to stir it well beforehand). Leave to simmer for 10 seconds, then pour in the remaining half.
- Once the sauce becomes just thick enough to coat the spatula, add ground Sichuan pepper and chopped scallions. Give everything a gentle mix then turn off the heat immediately. Serve it hot with plain steamed rice.
