Mapo tofu with red Sichuan sauce, tofu cubes, minced meat and spring onions
Chinese Recipe

Mapo tofu

This Mapo Tofu recipe explains a Sichuan variation that can be cooked after cooking: Tofu is gently heated, minced meat and seasoning paste are roasted, the sauce is thickened and sprinkled with ground Sichuan pepper.

No ratings yet
Jump to recipe View ingredients
Share
Total time 38 min
Calories 480 kcal
Servings 4 servings
Difficulty Medium
By the Published Updated Editorially approved

Why this recipe works

Mapo tofu with doubanjiang and Sichuan pepper

Mapo tofu is not just any tofu-vegetable dish. Doubanjiang brings salt, chilli and depth, Sichuan pepper provides the typical tingling. The tofu is carefully treated so that the cubes remain whole in the sauce.

Vegetarian Dinners Chinese Recipes Lunch One-Pot Recipes

Recipe

Mapo tofu

Mapo tofu is cooked with soft tofu, doubanjiang, fermented black beans, minced meat, chilli oil and Sichuan pepper. It is said to taste spicy and slightly numbing.

Ingredients

4 servings

Method

  1. 1

    Prepare tofu

    Cut tofu into cubes and leave to stand in hot salted water for 2 minutes. Drain carefully.

  2. 2

    Roast mince and seasoning paste

    Heat oil, fry minced meat. Fry the doubanjiang, black beans, garlic and ginger briefly.

  3. 3

    Cooking sauce

    Add stock, soy sauce and sugar and bring to the boil.

  4. 4

    Cook the tofu

    Place the tofu in the sauce and leave to stand gently for 5 minutes. Do not stir too much.

  5. 5

    Tie and serve

    Tie with the starch and serve with Sichuan pepper and spring onions.

Kitchen know-how

Tips for Mapo tofu

Gently move tofu

Soft tofu breaks easily, just push rather than stir hard.

Roast Doubanjiang

Shortly roasted bean paste tastes deeper and less raw.

Pepper at the end

Ground Sichuan pepper is best fresh just before serving.

Variations

How to adapt this recipe

Drop the minced meat and chop the mushrooms finely. Doubanjiang remains important for depth.

Use a little more stock and thicken with starch as needed.

Nutrition per serving

480kcal
18.0 gCarbohydrates
28.0 gProtein
32.0 gFat

Values are estimates and may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, portion size and preparation method used.

Frequently asked questions

FAQ about Mapo tofu

Doubanjiang is a fermented bean and chilli paste from Sichuan and the main seasoning base for Mapo tofu.

Soft to medium-firm tofu is ideal. Very firm tofu is less silky.

Yes, replace minced meat with mushrooms or leave it out.

Stirring too much or bubbling boiling breaks up soft tofu. Gently push is enough.

Keep cooking

Related recipes and topics

Similar recipes

45 min · Spring Wild garlic risotto with peas Onion and risotto rice are sweated through and cooked little by little with hot vegetable broth; peas, finely chopped wild garlic, butter and Parmesan cheese complete the rice. Stir in wild garlic only after cooking and let the risotto rest briefly away from the heat to preserve colour, fragrance and creamy bite. 55 min · Winter Vegetarian Bean chilli Roast the peppers and onions with cumin and boil them with tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans and corn. Rinse the beans well and reduce the chilli open so that it thickens without the pulses falling apart. 55 min · Autumn Sweet potato chilli Roast sweet potato cubes with onion and cumin and boil until soft with tomatoes, beans and corn. Do not chop the sweet potatoes too small and thicken the chilli pepper without the lid to preserve the pieces. 28 min · Spring Pea and mint soup Steam the onion until translucent, then cook the peas only briefly in vegetable broth before mash the mint and cream. Cook for a short time until the green colour is achieved; lemon juice and mint should only be added to the pot immediately before mixing. 1 hr 15 min · German Lentil stew Sauté the onion, carrots, celery and leek in oil until fragrant. Add the lentils, stock and bay leaf and cook gently. 35 min · Turkish Mercimek Çorbası Mercimek Çorbası is a creamy Turkish lentil soup made from red lentils, onion, carrot, tomato paste and spices. Lemon and paprika butter give it its typical finish.