Mapo tofu so good you won’t order takeout again – my take on a Szechuan classic. I love all types of food – as you probably already know, and Chinese is very high on the list of things my husband and I order a lot so I decided to make something we would usually order at home and the result was amazing! I love the fact that this dish is deceptively easy to make. It has complex flavors but it only takes a few ingredients and I made some swaps for things that you will likely be able to find at your local market.
It is also very customizable! This is a Szechuan dish so it is meant to be spicy. I have created this recipe with my husband in mind and he doesn’t like spicy foods so I omitted the spice when I made it and just added some chili flakes and Szechuan peppercorn to my bowl when we ate. It typically uses soft tofu but we prefer firm tofu so that is what I used. You can also swap out the ground beef for ground pork, chicken, or a meat substitute.
For the tofu I also like to freeze my tofu before using it. When you freeze the tofu as the ice crystals form they tear through it creating small pockets which allows you to remove more of the water and then allows the tofu to soak up more of the sauce and flavor. It also changes the texture to something I like more.
I really hope you enjoy this dish! See the short YouTube video here.
Mapo Tofu
Equipment
- Chef's knife
- large pot
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 14 oz package firm tofu preferably frozen overnight and thawed
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp dark mushroom soy sauce or other soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp black bean and garlic sauce heaping tbsp
- 2 inch piece fresh ginger
- 4-5 scallions
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- chili flakes, chilis, or doubanjiang optional if you like it spicy
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tbsp water
- salt and pepper to taste
- sesame oil and white sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Season the ground beef with salt and pepper, mix well and set aside.
- Squeeze as much water as possible out of the tofu and cut it into 1 inch cubes.
- Peel the ginger with a spoon. Mince the ginger and garlic and place in a small bowl.
- Remove the roots from the scallions, thinly slice the whites and place them in a bowl.
- Slice the scallion greens on a bias and place in a separate bowl.
- Brown the ground beef in a large pot over medium heat until it is cooked through and crispy. Reserve a couple tablespoons of the fat, drain the rest and set the beef aside.
- In the same pot add the reserved beef fat and cook the scallion whites, ginger, and garlic until fragrant. Add the chili flakes, chilis, or doubanjiang at this point if you are using them.
- Add the stock into the pot along with the tofu. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer.
- While the tofu is coming to a simmer mix the soy sauce, mirin, and black bean sauce in a small bowl. Also mix the cornstarch and water in another container.
- Once the tofu has reached a simmer add in half of the ground beef and the sauce mixture and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- After 5-6 minutes add half of the cornstarch slurry and stir it in. Then add the rest and stir in again. Allow that to cook for a couple minutes to thicken.
- Add in the rest of the ground beef and remove from the heat.
- Garnish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, the scallion greens, and white sesame seeds.
- You can also top with some toasted crushed Szechuan peppercorns if you like.
- Serve over steamed rice.
