Delicious and simple mapo doufu dish is the best to serve with rice. Love spicy food? Try out this quick & flavorable mapo tofu recipe. And, learn how to cook authentic mapo tofu!
Like tofu? Check out these crispy teriyaki tofu, bean curd pudding and kimchi tofu soup recipes too!
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 beancurd".
What are the ingredients for 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, this mapo tofu recipe I use simple ingredients and cook in a way that my family can handle the spiciness yet very delicious and flavorable.
The main ingredients are: ground pork, tofu, chili oil (homemade), garlic and green onion.
Cooking tips for mapo tofu recipe (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 fried too hard with the pork and add tofu last.
FAQs:
What does tofu taste like?
Doufu has a bland taste. I would say pretty much no taste at all. It usually cooks with something with sauce that has strong flavors.
How spicy is this mapo doufu dish?
This ma po tofu recipe is not too spicy. It is more like mild-medium. You can adjust the amount of chili oil.
Instructions for how to make mapo tofu:
Preparation:
1. Minced 4 cloves of garlic.
2. Cut 3 sticks of green onion.
3. Cut a block of soft tofu into cubes and set them aside.
Cooking:
4. Add ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan. After that, turn on fire to medium high and stir fry minced garlic a little bit.
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 chili oil (homemade), ½ cup of water and keep stir fried until the pork is cooked.
7. In a small container, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water.
8. After, pour cornstarch mixture with the pork and keep stir frying until the sauce is thickened.
9. Lastly, add cut tofu and be gentle. Do not stir too hard because soft tofu will break easily and cook it for a minute.
10. Topping some green onion and ready to serve.
Enjoy this simple and tasty mapo tofu recipe! Also, check out these Korean jajangmyeon, Chinese eggplant and pork, ma yi shang shu, kung pao chicken recipes.
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Ma Po Tofu (麻婆豆腐)
Ingredients
- ½ lb Ground pork
- 1 block Soft Tofu
- 3 sticks Green onion
- 4 cloves Garlic
- ½ tablespoon Vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons Chili oil homemade Sichuan style
- ½ cup Water
THICKEN SAUCE:
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Water
Instructions
- Minced 4 cloves of garlic.
- Cut 3 sticks of green onion.
- Cut a block of soft tofu into cubes and set them aside.
- Add ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan. After that, turn on fire to medium high and stir fry minced garlic a little bit.
- Next, add ½ pound of ground pork and stir fry or loose up ground pork.
- 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 chili oil (homemade), ½ cup of water and keep stir fried until the pork is cooked.
- In a small container, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water.
- After, pour cornstarch mixture with the pork and keep stir frying until the sauce is thickened.
- Lastly, add cut tofu and be gentle. Do not stir too hard because soft tofu will break easily and cook it for a minute.
- Topping some green onion and ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Cooking tips for mapo doufu (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 fried too hard with the pork and add tofu last.
Nutrition