Authentic-ish Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐)

27 Apr 2024

I love mapo tofu. It's a hot and sexy expression of what many consider to be mushy cardboard food. Here's my take on it, very much inspired by the classic take by Chris & Steph at Chinese Cooking Demystified

Ingredients

Serves 2 (generously)

• 1 tablespoon doubanjiang (豆瓣醬). This is essential to the flavour profile of the dish and can't be skipped...well, okay, you can substitute this if you have soybean paste and chili oil. It just won't be as great.
• ~450g medium-firm tofu (I usually grab Jan Jan Tofu but a softer tofu is even better. Avoid silken tofu, it'll just mush up, not worth the heartbreak.
• 1 tablespoon Sichuan Peppercorn. You'll need to toast and grind this. In a pinch, you can crush it in a cup with something like the end of a wooden spoon or a thin jar.
• ~200g minced pork. This may seem like an excessive portion if you're used to the real deal, but I like the texture of a bit more meat. I've also gone without pork completely and that's fine too you could substitute some shiitake mushroom.
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/2" slice of ginger
• 1 or 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon douchi (豆豉)
  Black beans. If you can't find these, you can almost certainly find black bean Laoganma, which will be okay as a substitute.
• About a mug/cup full of seasoning stock
  What you use here doesn't matter. I've used chicken stock, dashi. Miso is my go-to.
• A cornstarch/water mix (teaspoon cornstarch, tablespoon water
• A neutral cooking oil

Seasonings in order of importance

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
• Some Baoning vinegar (or a chinese dark vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon 5 spice powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/2 teaspoon white papper
• 1/2 teaspoon MSG

Method

1. Slice your tofu into cubes. Do this by dividing it into quarters vertically both ways then cut in half horizontally.
2. Boil this tofu in lightly salted water until the tofu starts floating a little, typically 3-5 mins. Drain and set aside.
3. Mince your ginger and garlic.
4. Gently toast the Sichuan peppercorn over your wok/pan on a medium heat. You'll know they're ready when they leave little oily streaks on the wok. If your pan has bad visibility, toast until they're fragrant then for a minute more. Once done, grind this into a coarse powder.
5. When your wok cools, add a tablespoon of oil along with your mince and heat from cold on a medium-high heat. Separate your mince out.
6. When the mince is about cooked, add your doubanjiang, and turn the heat down slightly. Integrate this into the oil until you start seeing a signature chili red color in the oil. You may also add chili powder if you want an extra kick.
7. Add your ginger, garlic and douchi, and fry everything up a little.
8. Now add your stock, and begin your seasoning run. Light soy, shaoxing, sugar are essential. I typically add a little sugar and MSG (because MSG is great), and sometimes some 5-spice, white pepper, and ginger. It's about building up layers, here.
9. Now add your tofu gently into the mix. Try not to be forceful and rip your cubes.
10. Bring everything to a vigorous boil to start reducing your liquid. Move things around by stirring from the outside in. Push, rather than pull the tofu around.
11. Here's the tricky part. You ideally want to end up with a sauce that coats your tofu, and isn't too watery. This is trial and error. I typically wait until the tofu is sitting above the liquid, and looking less soupy. You may not get it right the first time but it'll still be delicious.
12. When the liquid has reduced, turn off the heat and add your cornstarch/water mix. Some say to stir it in 3 rounds, but I've found pouring it all in has a similar effect. Incorporate this throughout the mix to thicken your liquid.
13. Top with scallions and your toasted Sichuan peppercorn, and enjoy one of China's finest dishes.