Mapo Tofu Recipe (麻婆豆腐) - Oh My Food Recipes

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Delicious and flavorful mapo doufu dish is a classic and signature Sichuan Chinese cuisine. Also, it is best to serve with rice and hot & sour soup for lunch or dinner. If you like tofu, you can check out these crispy teriyaki tofu, bean curd pudding, miso soup and kimchi tofu soup. Let's learn how to make this quick, flavorful and authentic Chinese mapo tofu recipe for your meals with detailed photo instructions and a video.

Like Chinese food? Check out these steamed pork patty, hairy gourd vermicelli, steamed shrimp, tomato eggs, congee, pork knuckles & ginger stew, steamed spare ribs, lo mai gai recipes.

What is mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐)?

Mapo tofu is a popular and classic Sichuan Chinese dish. "Ma" stands for "ma-zi" (麻子) which means pockmarks. "Po" means "popo" (婆婆) which means an old woman or grandma. Literally translated as "pockmarked grandma's bean curd".

Also, it is made with tofu, ground pork or beef, fermented broad bean paste and Sichuan peppercorns which give the dish its signature numbing and spicy flavor. Besides, the dish is often garnished with chopped scallions and served with steamed rice.

Different areas in China make mapo tofu slightly different. Some make it very spicy and some less spicy that more suitable to people's taste. Like in Hong Kong people like to use garlic chili paste to make it less spicy and yet tasty.

What are the ingredients for a mapo doufu dish?

Normally, it consists of spicy sauce, tofu (doufu) and minced meat. Typically, a mapo tofu dish uses douban (fermented broad bean and chili paste) and douchi (fermented black beans) with minced meat, pork or beef and tofu.

Sichuan ma po tofu is very spicy, hot, numbing, aromatic and tender. However, in this mapo tofu recipe, I use simple ingredients and cook in a way that my family can handle the spiciness yet very delicious and flavorful. The main ingredients are: ground pork, tofu, homemade chili oil , garlic and green onion.

Cooking tips for how to make mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐):

Add ½ tablespoon of homemade chili oil at a time, depending on how spicy you can tolerate it. Personally, I like to use 1.5 tablespoons of chili oil because this is how spicy my family can handle.
I like to use this homemade Sichuan chili oil because it is very aromatic, so it gives a good flavor to the meat and tofu.
We like soft tofu because it is smooth and soft. On the other hand, some people like to use medium firm or firm.
If you use soft tofu, I suggest not to stir-fry too hard with the pork and add tofu last.

FAQs:

What does tofu taste like?

Doufu (tofu) has a bland taste. I would say pretty much no taste at all. It usually cooks with something and the sauce has strong flavors like crispy teriyaki tofu.

What kind of tofu do you use?

Personally, I like to use soft tofu for mapo doufu, miso soup and kimchi tofu soup because of the smooth and silky texture. However, you can use medium firm or firm tofu if you cannot find any soft tofu around.

How spicy is this mapo doufu dish?

This ma po tofu recipe is not too spicy. It is more mild-medium. You can adjust the amount of homemade chili oil according to your spiciness.

Can I use other meats?

Normally, mapo tofu uses pork. But, you can use ground chicken or beef.

Instructions for how to make Chinese mapo tofu:

Preparation:

1. Minced 4 cloves of garlic.

2. Cut 3 sticks of green onion.

3. Cut a block of soft tofu (19 oz) into cubes and set them aside.

Cooking:

4. Add ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan. After that, turn on the heat to medium high and stir fry minced garlic a little bit.

ground pork with stir fried minced garlic in a pan

5. Next, add ½ pound of ground pork and stir fry or loose up ground pork.

6. The following, add ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1.5 tablespoons of homemade chili oil, ½ cup of water and keep stir fried until the pork is cooked.