Mapo Tofu

Source: Adapted from The Woks of Life

Yield: 6 serving(s)

Time: ~30 min

About

Sichuan mapo tofu with silky soft tofu in a deeply spicy, numbing sauce with ground pork. The Lao Gan Ma spicy bean sauce and toasted whole chilies layer heat in different ways. Adjust chili quantity to your spice tolerance.

Key Technique: Toasting the dried chilies in oil separately and adding at the end preserves their bright, fruity heat without burning them.

Ingredients

• 120ml neutral oil, divided
• 1.5 fresh Thai bird chili peppers, thinly sliced
• 7.5 dried red chilies, roughly chopped
• 6g Sichuan peppercorns, smashed
• 45g ginger, finely minced
• 45g garlic, finely minced
• 225g ground pork
• 30ml Lao Gan Ma spicy bean sauce (adjust to desired salt/spice)
• 162ml low-sodium chicken broth (or water)
• 450g silken tofu, cut into 2.5cm cubes
• 6g cornstarch (for slurry)
• 3ml sesame oil (optional)
• 1.2g sugar (optional)
• 1 scallion, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Toast Chilies

1. Heat some oil in a frying pan and toast the dried chilies until fragrant. Set aside.

2. Build the Sauce

1. Heat oil in a wok. Cook ginger for 1 minute, then add garlic for another minute.
2. Add ground pork and fry until fully cooked, breaking up all clumps.
3. Add ground Sichuan peppercorns and stir for 30 seconds.

3. Braise the Tofu

1. Add Lao Gan Ma bean sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a slow boil for 1 minute.
2. Cut tofu into 2.5cm cubes and gently add to the wok.
3. Add cornstarch slurry to thicken to desired consistency.
4. Add sesame oil and sugar if using, then top with toasted chilies.
5. Garnish with chopped scallion and serve immediately over rice.

Tags: #recipe #chinese #sichuan #tofu #pork #spicy