Today we’re going to look at how to make mapo tofu. First of all, don’t be misled: contrary to what you might think, this isn’t a Japanese dish, but a traditional recipe from the Sichuan region, and the recipe wouldn’t be complete without the pepper of the same name.

If you’re looking for a tasty recipe to make some delicious spicy tofu and you’ve never tried it this way before, you absolutely must give this recipe a go.
It is the mapo sauce, from which the dish takes its name, that gives it its unmistakable flavour. 
The original recipe includes meat among the basic ingredients, but you can also make a vegan version.

The ideal meat for this dish, as per the original recipe, is pork, but there are plenty of alternative versions using beef or chicken.
The ingredients needed to make it are:
500g tofu
2 Doubanjiang, a spicy sauce made from beans and chilli that’s fairly easy to find online... perhaps in the future we’ll also dedicate a feature to the recipe for making it at home, so don’t miss our weekly posts.
1 tablespoon of Douchi (or dou chi), fermented black soybeans.
2 cloves of garlic, a thin slice of fresh ginger, 1 heaped tablespoon of Sichuan pepper, 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, 3 fresh spring onions, taking care to chop the white and green parts separately, 60–80 g minced pork, cornflour and water.

Preparation

Cut the tofu into roughly even cubes. Fill a saucepan with lightly salted water and bring it to the boil. Add the tofu and let it boil for a couple of minutes before draining it. This step isn’t strictly necessary, but it will make your tofu firmer and prevent the cubes from breaking apart during cooking.
Set the tofu aside and start preparing the ‘soffritto’ to flavour the meat.

Use a wok, or a deep frying pan, the sort ideal for stirring pasta and risotto. Add the oil, garlic, the white part of the spring onion, pepper and ginger; sauté briefly before adding the Doubanjiang and fermented soybeans. Continue to sauté, stirring well, until the mixture takes on a deep red colour. At this point, add the minced meat and cook for at least a minute before adding the diced tofu. Some people also add 1 or 2 tablespoons of soy sauce at this stage. Cook for another minute before adding the stock, turn up the heat and add a tablespoon of cornflour, which will help thicken the final dish. Cook everything over a high heat before serving, garnishing with the green parts of the spring onions.

We recommend eating the dish whilst it is still piping hot to fully savour the flavour.

An interesting fact: did you know that mapo tofu was a typical workers’ meal?