Recipes
Asian
Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu

Name: Mapo Tofu
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 200 g soft or silken tofu; 50 g pork mince; 1 tbsp groundnut oil; 1 tbsp Pixian chilli bean paste (doubanjiang); 1 tsp fermented black beans (douchi); 1 clove garlic; 1 tsp ginger; 0.5 tsp ground red chilli; 120 ml chicken stock; 1 tsp light soy sauce; 1.5 tsp cornflour; 1 tbsp cold water; 0.5 tsp Sichuan peppercorns; 0.5 tsp salt; 1 spring onion

The classic Sichuan dish of soft tofu simmered in a fiery, ruddy sauce of chilli bean paste and fermented black beans with a little pork, finished with the tingling numbness of freshly ground Sichuan pepper. Serve with plain steamed rice.

Mains 25g+ protein Under 30 min

25 min10 prep · 15 cookEasy514 kcalper serving

Instructions

Cut 200 g of soft tofu into 2 cm cubes. Bring a small pan of water to the boil with 0.5 tsp of salt, slide in the tofu, drop the heat so the water barely trembles and leave for 2 minutes, this firms the curd so it holds its shape. Drain carefully in a colander and set aside.
Toast 0.5 tsp of Sichuan peppercorns in a dry wok over low heat for about 1 minute, until fragrant but not darkened. Tip out and grind to a fine powder in a mortar. Set aside, this goes on at the very end, where the numbing aroma survives.
Wipe out the wok, set it over high heat and add 1 tbsp of groundnut oil. When it shimmers, add 50 g of pork mince and stir-fry for 3 minutes, pressing it out into crumbs, until it is browned and slightly crisp at the edges and the fat has rendered.