Name: Nini’s Mapo Tofu
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 pack soft tofu (large dice); 1 tbsp neutral oil; 3 tbsp ginger (peeled and minced); 3 tbsp garlic (peeled and minced); ½ lb ground meat or minced mushrooms; 2 tbsp shaoxing wine or dry sherry; 2 tbsp sichuan broad bean sauce (needs to have pixian douban in ingredient list); 1 tbsp DARK soy sauce or 1 tsp of regular soy sauce (optional but be careful to not make it too salty); 2-3 tbsp chili oil with black beans (LAOGANMA brand); 1 cup no salt chicken stock or water; ¼ tsp five spice powder; 1-2 tsp sichuan pepper powder AKA prickly ash powder; 1 tsp sugar; 2 tsp cornstarch; 3 green onions (sliced); 2 cups uncooked rice (cooked according to package)

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Mapo tofu is a Sichuan dish and it is one of my absolute favorite things to cook and eat. The name literally translates to “pockmarked old woman’s tofu,” which I love because the name itself tells you this dish has history.

My version uses soft tofu, ground meat or minced mushrooms if you want to keep it vegetarian, and a sauce built on a few things you’ll want to track down specifically. Pixian douban (look for “Sichuan broad bean sauce” with pixian douban in the ingredient list) is the backbone. Laoganma chili oil with black beans, not just any chili oil, Laoganma specifically. Sichuan pepper powder for that tingly, numbing heat that’s different from regular spice. Those three together are what make it taste like the real thing.

One step that makes a difference: blanch the tofu in salted boiling water for a couple of minutes before it goes in the sauce. It firms it up just enough that the cubes hold their shape when you’re swirling them around the pan instead of falling apart on you.

The whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes. Make more rice than you think you need. You will want it.

Recipe below.

Nini’s Mapo Tofu

Mapo tofu is one of my favorite Sichuan dishes. The Sichuan peppercorns give the dish that signature numbing heat that makes it completely addictive. This is my version of the classic. Definitely not traditional, but still deeply flavorful, spicy, savory, and exactly the kind of thing I want over a bowl of rice on a random weeknight. Fair warning: this recipe does require a trip to a proper Asian grocery store. But once you stock up on a few pantry ingredients, you’re dangerously close to making this whenever the craving hits.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings: 4

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 pack soft tofu (large dice)
1 tbsp neutral oil
3 tbsp ginger (peeled and minced)
3 tbsp garlic (peeled and minced)
½ lb ground meat or minced mushrooms
2 tbsp shaoxing wine or dry sherry
2 tbsp sichuan broad bean sauce (needs to have pixian douban in ingredient list)
1 tbsp DARK soy sauce or 1 tsp of regular soy sauce (optional but be careful to not make it too salty)
2-3 tbsp chili oil with black beans (LAOGANMA brand)
1 cup no salt chicken stock or water
¼ tsp five spice powder
1-2 tsp sichuan pepper powder AKA prickly ash powder
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
3 green onions (sliced)
2 cups uncooked rice (cooked according to package)

Method

In a large pot with boiling salted water, cook the tofu for about 2 minutes and then drain and set aside.
In a sauté pan, on medium high heat, add in oil, ginger and garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.
Add in ½ lb of meat and break it up into small pieces and let cook until no longer pink or for 3-5 minutes.
Add in the shaoxing wine then the broad bean sauce (you can start with 1 Tbsp and add as you go). Then add the chili oil with black beans (to taste) and the no salt chicken stock. Add the optional dark soy sauce but please taste before adding.
Add in the five spice, sichuan pepper powder and sugar. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
In a small bowl mix cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water until dissolved. Add it into the mapo tofu and bring to a boil.
Add the blanched tofu into the saute pan and swirl the pot around to gently coat the tofu cubes with the sauce. Use the back of a spoon to push the tofu as needed. Let simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Garnish with green onions and serve with cooked rice.