Chinese🥚 Egg & tofu

Authentic Mapo Tofu

Name: Authentic Mapo Tofu
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: ~400 g firm fresh tofu; ~2 tbsp Pixian chilli bean paste (豆瓣醬); 200 g ground beef; ~4-5 cloves garlic; ~1 tbsp salted black beans (豆豉); ~1 tbsp ginger; ~½ cup water; ~3 tbsp oil; ~½ tsp sugar; ~1 tbsp cornflour; ~½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder; ~2-3 spring onions; ~¼ tsp chilli powder (optional)

⏱ 25 min

This classic Sichuan dish is the most famous tofu preparation in the region. Silky tofu is coated in a rich, numbing-spicy sauce made with fermented broad bean paste and Sichuan peppercorns, with ground beef and black beans for depth and complexity.

Adapted from a video by Adam Liaw

How to Make Authentic MaPo Tofu | 麻婆豆腐 | 10 Minute Recipe | Sichuan Chinese Cooking

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

firm fresh tofu~400 gest.
Pixian chilli bean paste (豆瓣醬)Traditional aged Sichuan broad bean paste, ideally fermented for 3+ years~2 tbspest.
ground beefslightly fatty; can use as little as 150g200 g
garlicpurple-skinned garlic, lightly crushed and roughly chopped~4-5 clovesest.
salted black beans (豆豉)~1 tbspest.
ginger~1 tbspest.
waterfor blanching tofu (lightly heated with salt) and cooking

Steps

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1
Cut the tofu into small cubes, adjusting size to your preference.
2
Place the tofu in gently heated lightly salted water and warm through slowly for about 15 minutes, readying it to absorb the sauce flavours.
3
Prepare the bean paste: if using whole-bean style, chop or mash it fine; if already in smooth paste form, use as-is.
4
Mince the beef finely to achieve an even granular texture throughout the dish.
5
Lightly crush the garlic and roughly chop it.
6
Cut spring onions into 5cm lengths and prepare remaining ingredients.
7
Heat oil in the wok and fry the ground beef until well browned; remove and set aside.
8
Add more oil to the wok and stir-fry the bean paste until fragrant and the oil turns red.
9
Add garlic, ginger and black beans; stir until the garlic fragrance emerges.
10
Pour in a little water to cool the wok and blend the flavours without burning.
11
Gently add the blanched tofu to the wok.
12
Return the cooked beef and spring onions to the wok and gently combine.
13
Taste the dish. Adjust salt if needed based on the bean paste and black beans used; add a touch of sugar to balance saltiness, heat and complexity.
14
Mix cornflour with cold water to form a slurry. Add it to the wok in three separate additions, stirring between each, to achieve the right luxurious but not gluggy or watery consistency.
15
Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with Sichuan peppercorn powder to finish.

Authentic Mapo Tofu

Ingredients

Steps

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