Mapo Tofu
A Northeastern-style tofu dish featuring minced pork and tofu, known for its bold Sichuan-inspired spicy, numbing, and fragrant flavors, finished with a glossy red sauce.
Ingredients
Tofu (cut into 0.5cm cubes)
500 g
Pork (lean-heavy, minced into small pieces)
2 taels
Vegetable oil
1 tael 5 mace
Pixian Douban (fermented broad bean paste)
1 tael
Salt
3 candareen
Sichuan peppercorn powder (sprinkled on top before serving)
2 candareen
Garlic sprouts (cut into 0.5cm long segments)
1 tael 5 mace
Fermented black beans (pressed finely with a knife)
10+
Soy sauce
5 mace
Mala chili powder
4 mace
Cornstarch slurry (for thickening)
1 tael 5 mace
Stock
8 taels
Instructions
1
Preparation
Cut the tofu into 0.5cm cubes; mince the lean-heavy pork into small pieces, cut the garlic sprouts into 0.5cm long segments, and press the fermented black beans finely with a knife.
2
Stir-frying
Place a wok over medium heat, add vegetable oil, and when it reaches 50% heat, add the minced pork. Stir-fry the pork until all moisture is evaporated, then add Pixian Douban paste and fermented black beans. Stir-fry until fragrant, then add chili powder (if the heat is too high, temporarily move the wok away from the heat). Stir-fry until red oil is released, then add salt, soy sauce, and the tofu.
3
Simmering and Thickening
After adding the tofu to the wok, simmer for about 3 minutes, then add the garlic sprouts (stir frequently to prevent the mixture from sticking to the wok). When the garlic sprouts change color (turn bright green and are cooked but not wilted), add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle the Sichuan peppercorn powder on top, and serve.
