Mapo Tofu

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Mapo tofu is a spicy dish consisting of ground pork and tofu and originates from the Sichuan province in China. What makes the original Chinese version of mapo tofu distinct from the other versions (e.g., Japanese and Korean) is that it has Sichuan peppercorns. These peppercorns have a numbing or cooling effect on the tongue, which helps balance out the heat from the red pepper flakes.

Mapo tofu in a bowl with a bag of Sichuan peppercorns and green onions scattered across the table

I often made this dish as a student, since it was rather inexpensive and easy to make quickly. It’s the perfect dish to make on a weekday after work as well. 

Ingredients

Ingredients for mapo tofu
  • Ground pork – You can replace this with any type of ground meat.
  • Medium firm tofu – The original dish is made with silken tofu, but I like to use medium firm since I tend to stir a lot and break the soft tofu.
  • Sichuan peppercorn (optional) – Buy the higher quality Sichuan peppercorns. High quality Sichuan peppercorns have the black seeds removed, while the lower quality kind has black seeds. The black seeds taste bitter and gritty. When they are ground, they make your mapo tofu taste sandy. This dish will still taste good even without these peppercorns, but I find it tastes better with it.
A bag of high quality Sichuan peppercorns
  • Chili garlic sauce (a.k.a. doubanjiang) – There are many brands of chili garlic sauce or pastes, but I specifically buy the Lee Kum Kee brand, because I find it has the best flavour. Other chili garlic sauces have more of a sour taste to them, whereas this one doesn’t as much. I also find that it lends more of an appealing, vibrant red colour to the dish as well.
A jar of chili garlic sauce or doubanjiang
  • Soy sauce – adds a bit of umami or savoury flavour to the dish
  • Oyster sauce – Also boosts umami in the dish
  • Red chili pepper flakes – Chinese red chili pepper flakes are the best for this dish, since I find they have a vibrant red colour. I also use crushed red chili pepper flakes from my local supermarket though, except they are a little on the browner side.
  • Garlic – Adds roasted and umami notes
  • Ginger – Adds a bit of a kick 
  • Onion – Adds deep umami flavour. I tend to use yellow onions.
  • Green onions – Adds a bit of colour and some crunchy freshness to the dish.
  • Sesame oil – Gives toasted and nutty notes to the dish
  • Chicken broth – Can use salted or unsalted chicken broth or even just water instead. 
  • Cornstarch – Used as a thickener for the chicken broth. It will help carry the seasoning and sauce ingredients throughout the dish and allow them to stick to the ground meat and tofu better.
  • Sugar/ honey – Balances out the flavours in the dish

How to Grind Sichuan Peppercorns

The old school way of grinding Sichuan peppercorns is by using a mortar and pestle. 

Grinding Sichuan peppercorns with a mortar and pestle

However, my favourite way to grind these peppercorns is by using a spice grinder, since I find when I use a mortar and pestle, the peppercorns tend to jump out of the mortar.

Spice grinder

How to Make Mapo Tofu

Pour a bit of neutral-flavoured oil in a large pan and cook ground pork on medium high heat until fully cooked through and browned.

Cooking ground pork in a pan with a spatula

Stir in minced garlic, ginger and onion until fragrant and slightly browned.

Frying minced garlic, ginger and onion with ground pork in a pan

Add ground Sichuan peppercorns and stir fry for 20 to 30 seconds. This will help bring out their flavour and their characteristic numbing effect in this dish.

Sichuan peppercorn in ground pork and garlic, ginger and onion in a pan

Stir in diced tofu and then mix in chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili flakes, and honey or sugar.

Chili garlic sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and red pepper flakes on top of diced medium firm tofu and ground pork in a pan

Mix cornstarch in chicken broth separately in a small bowl or jug and then stir into the mapo tofu constantly, yet gently, on medium high heat until it thickens.

Stirring in cornstarch slurry into mapo tofu in a pan

Stir in a bit of sesame oil and then top with green onion.

Mapo tofu topped with chopped green onion in a pan
Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu

Recipe by Susan
0.0 from 0 votes

Mapo tofu is a spicy and numbing stir fried tofu and ground pork dish that will blow you away when eaten on a bowl of steamed white rice.

Course: MainCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy
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Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

30

minutes
Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp cornstarch

  • 1 cup unsalted chicken broth

  • 1/2 lb ground pork

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced

  • 1 small onion (or 1/2 large onion)

  • 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, ground

  • 1 lb medium firm tofu, cut into about 1-inch cubes

  • 3 tbsp chili garlic sauce (doubanjiang)

  • 1 tsp soy sauce

  • 1 tsp oyster sauce

  • 1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes

  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

  • 1 tsp sugar

  • 1 green onion, chopped

Directions

  • Dissolve and mix cornstarch in chicken broth and set aside.
  • Cook ground pork on medium high heat until browned.
  • Stir in garlic, ginger, and onion until aromatic and slightly browned.
  • Mix in the ground Sichuan peppercorns to toast them for 20 – 30 seconds.
  • Stir fry the tofu in with aromatics as well as chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, red chili flakes and sugar.
  • Give the cornstarch slurry a good stir and then pour into the pan. Constantly stir the slurry into the mapo tofu at medium high heat until the sauce has thickened.
  • Gently stir in sesame oil and top with chopped green onions.