Mapo tofu, the authentic way (麻婆豆腐)

Tender tofu cooked in an aromatic and spicy sauce, accompanied by minced meat, Mapo tofu is one of the most popular ways to prepare tofu in China.

Once I asked a group of non-Chinese friends who had experiences of real Chinese food: “What is your favourite tofu dish?” They all answered: “Mapo tofu!” It didn’t surprise me at all. Today I’d like to show you how to cook this classic dish the authentic way (without any western adaptation).

Why is it call Mapo tofu?

Tofu (aka Doufu, Bean curd) is one of my favourite ingredients. As a very healthy source of protein, it can be prepared in so many scrumptious ways: in salads, stir-fries, stews, soups, etc. It never fails to please my palate.

Mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐) is named after its inventor Mapo (means pockmarked elderly lady) who ran a small restaurant over a century ago in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. It’s a signature dish of Sichuan cuisine, presenting its characteristic flavour: Mala (麻辣), namely numbing and spicy.

Over recent years, Mapo tofu started appearing on the menus of oversea Chinese restaurants. Unfortunately, I’m disappointed most of the time (Many Chinese living aboard have similar complaints). What is often served are just plates of spicy tofu. In terms of the general flavour, the level of hotness, numbness and the texture, such dishes have little to do with what you should expect from authentic Mapo tofu.

Five key features of the dish

In fact, like many Chinese dishes, Mapo tofu is much simpler to prepare than it seems to be. Get the right ingredients and follow the instructions, then you will be on the way to success. For a better understanding of Mapo tofu, five Chinese characters are used to describe the key features of this dish:

麻/numbing

This particular taste/sensation comes from Sichuan pepper, a spice unique to Chinese cuisine. Use freshly ground Sichuan pepper when possible (Please refer to my post to learn how to grind Sichuan pepper properly). Shop-bought powder often tastes too mild.

辣 /spicy

Both of Sichuan chilli bean paste (aka spicy Doubanjiang) and chilli powder contribute to the spiciness. The latter is also used to enhance the reddish colour of the dish.

Different brands of Sichuan chilli bean paste may vary in saltiness, hotness and texture. Adjust the volume accordingly. I normally use Pixian Douban (郫县豆瓣), a well-known variety, which needs to be coarsely chopped prior to cooking.

香/aromatic

Apart from Sichuan chilli bean paste which makes the dish flavoursome, fermented black beans (aka black beans) also provides a particular aroma. Remember to rinse and chop them prior to cooking.

烫 /physically hot

Mapo tofu needs to be served hot for the best taste. However, since tofu holds heat very well, for the first few mouthfuls, I recommend that you break the tofu cubes apart with chopsticks before putting into your mouth.

嫩/tender

It’s better to use Chinese soft tofu (嫩豆腐) for tender texture. The tofu I bought from Chinese shops in England is marked as “medium-firm”. I found it great for this dish (Japanese-style silken tofu is not recommended). Make sure you blanch the tofu cubes in salty water first. This is to make the cubes less breakable. And you need to be gentle when handling them throughout the cooking process.

You can make it vegetarian too

In the authentic version of Mapo tofu, beef or pork mince are used to enhance the flavour. If you wish, skip it or replace it with vegetarian ingredients, such as shiitake mushrooms. Soak the mushrooms in water overnight then chop them into small pieces. Fry as usual.

Choose your own “Mala” level

In terms of the Mala(麻辣) sensation (the level of hotness and numbness), my Mapo tofu recipe is not adapted for non-Sichuanese tastes. You might find it too tangy if you are not accustomed to it. Please feel free to alter the amount of relevant ingredients. You may also add a little sugar to reduce the spiciness as well as the saltiness.

Hope you find this recipe helpful. If you like Sichuan cuisine as much as I do, my blog is the right resource to follow. Tag me @red.house.spice on Instagram if you share a photo of your Mapo tofu. I’d love to see!

Have a yummy day!

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