Mapo Tofu

How to make mapo tofu

I had this once in a Chinese restaurant and it was so good I had to recreate it. Now I’ve cracked it, it’s something we have for dinner all the time! The taste I tried so hard to find was that of the fermented broad bean paste – which is now an essential in my kitchen. It’s this ingredient that gives Chinese dishes that amazing chinese takeaway level flavour 😍 You can find it in any good Asian supermarket or order it online (picture below). I also use it in ramen stocks or noodle dishes to take the flavour up a notch.

I’ve tried making this with pork mince, veggie mince and also with diced mushrooms (shiitake preferable) for a vegan option which is equally tasty.

INGREDIENTS:

To make chilli oil:

60ml oil

10 dried chilli’s

To make mapo tofu:

1/3 tsp Szechuan pepper

6 cloves garlic, minced

Pork mince (to make veggie use veggie mince or mushrooms)

1 heaped tbsp broad bean paste

200ml vegetable stock

1 tbsp cornflour, dissolved in a splash of water

1 pack tofu (silken preferable)

 

 

METHOD:

To make chilli oil:

1. Chop dried chilli’s in half and add to a pan with 60ml oil. Fry on low heat for 5-10 minutes until infused. Keep an eye on the oil!

2. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make mapo tofu:

1. Add a splash of oil to a pan on medium heat.

2. When the oil gets up to temperature add the Szechuan peppers and leave to fry for a few minutes.

3. Next, add the minced garlic.

4. Once the garlic has begun to sweat, add the pork mince.

5. Fry the pork mince for 5-10 minutes until it is cooked through.

6. Add the broad bean paste and mix until the meat is a nice red colour.

7. After a further 5 minutes add the stock, followed by the cornflour. Mix together until the sauce begins to thicken.

8. Next, chop the tofu into bitesize chunks and add to the pan, making sure to coat the tofu in the sauce.

9. Continue to heat through the tofu for up to 5 minutes.

10. Finally, stir through the chilli oil and optional sesame oil.

11. Serve with rice and a spring onion garnish 😍

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