Mapo tofu
Silken tofu in a glossy, spicy Sichuan sauce with minced pork, fermented beans and a punch of ground Sichuan pepper.
Mapo tofu is the kind of dish that makes you forgive chilli stains on your favourite shirt. Soft silken tofu in a sticky, spicy Sichuan sauce, flecked with minced pork and fermented beans — utterly moreish and quicker than you’d think.
Make this when you want serious, punchy flavour without hours of faff. It’s brilliant with steamed rice and a crisp veg side to cut the heat.
Ingredients
- 400 g silken tofu — cut into 2 cm cubes
- 300 g minced pork
- 30 ml doubanjiang
- 15 ml fermented black beans — rinsed and roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves — finely chopped
- 25 g fresh ginger — finely grated
- 4 spring onions — white and green parts separated; white finely chopped, green sliced to garnish
- 5 ml Sichuan peppercorns
- 30 ml rapeseed oil
- 15 ml light soy sauce
- 15 ml Shaoxing wine
- 5 ml caster sugar
- 200 ml chicken stock
- 15 ml cornflour — mix with 2 tbsp cold water to make a slurry
- 5 ml sesame oil
- sea salt — to taste
Equipment
- wok or large frying pan
- mortar and pestle or spice grinder
Instructions
Prepare the tofu and aromatics: drain the silken tofu and cut into 2 cm cubes. Finely chop the garlic cloves and grate the fresh ginger. Separate the white and green parts of the spring onions; chop the white parts finely and slice the green for garnish.
Dry-toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a small frying pan over medium heat until aromatic, about 1–2 minutes; transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind to a coarse powder.
Heat the rapeseed oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the doubanjiang and fermented black beans and fry, stirring, until the oil turns a deep red and the paste becomes fragrant, about 1–2 minutes.
Add the minced pork and increase the heat slightly. Break it up with your spoon and stir-fry until the pork is no longer pink and starts to brown, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the chopped garlic, grated ginger, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and caster sugar. Cook for 1 minute until aromatic and the wine has mostly evaporated.
Pour in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer so the flavours meld, about 2 minutes.
Gently slide the silken tofu into the sauce, spacing the cubes out. Spoon sauce over the tofu and simmer very gently for 3–4 minutes until heated through.
Stir the cornflour slurry (cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water) to recombine and pour it into the simmering sauce. Cook, stirring carefully, until the sauce thickens and coats the tofu, about 1–2 minutes.
Finish the dish by stirring in the sesame oil and most of the ground Sichuan peppercorns, taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt if needed. Scatter the chopped white parts of the spring onions through the sauce and reserve the green slices for garnish.
Tip the mapo tofu into a warmed serving bowl, scatter the remaining sliced green spring onions and another light dusting of ground Sichuan peppercorns over the top, and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Tips
- To keep the silken tofu intact, stir as little as possible after it goes in the pan and use a wide spoon to move sauce over the cubes.
- If you can’t find doubanjiang, use 1 tbsp chilli bean paste plus 1 tsp miso as a substitute — the flavour will be slightly different.
- Make ahead: cook the sauce base and refrigerate separately from the tofu; reheat the sauce until simmering and warm the tofu gently in the sauce before serving.
- Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge; reheat gently on the hob — avoid a rolling boil which will break the tofu and dry the dish.
- If you prefer less numbing heat, reduce the Sichuan peppercorns by half but keep the doubanjiang for depth of flavour.
Substitutions
minced pork → minced beef or lamb, same quantity
Stays closeminced pork → finely chopped chestnut mushrooms, 300 g, for a vegetarian version (omit chicken stock or use vegetable stock)
Noticeably differentlight soy sauce → tamari, same quantity (for gluten-free)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 380
- Calories
- 23 g
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 950 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
How spicy is mapo tofu?
It’s typically both spicy and numbing — the doubanjiang gives chilli heat while Sichuan peppercorns add a numbing tingle. You can reduce either to suit your taste.
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes — replace the minced pork with 300 g finely chopped chestnut mushrooms and use vegetable stock. The texture and flavour differ but the dish remains delicious.
Why does my tofu fall apart?
Silken tofu is fragile. Add it at the end, simmer very gently and stir as little as possible. Use a wide spoon and spoon sauce over the tofu rather than stirring vigorously.
Can I freeze mapo tofu?
Freezing is not ideal — silken tofu becomes grainy. You can freeze the cooked pork-chilli sauce separately and add fresh tofu when reheating.
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