Mapo Tofu
Silken tofu in a chilli-bean sauce that numbs, burns and satisfies — Sichuan cooking in its most direct form.
Origin & history
Mapo tofu comes from Chengdu, associated with a nineteenth-century restaurant run by a woman nicknamed 'Pockmarked Grandma'. Its flavour rests on doubanjiang, fermented broad-bean chilli paste, and Sichuan peppercorn, the pair that produces ma (numbing) and la (hot). The dish is cooked in minutes but depends entirely on the quality of those two ingredients.
Ingredients
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Base
Sauce
To serve
The method
Step by step
- 01
Prepare the tofu
6 minCut the tofu into 2 cm cubes and slide into lightly salted hot water. Leave for 5 minutes to firm, then drain very gently.
This step keeps the cubes intact when stirred.
- 02
Toast the peppercorns
2 minToast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry pan for 30 seconds, then grind to a powder.
- 03
Fry the pork
5 minBrown the minced pork in a hot wok until crisp at the edges, then push aside.
- 04
Bloom the chilli paste
2 minLower the heat, add the doubanjiang, black beans, garlic and chilli oil and fry for 40 seconds until the oil turns red.
Burnt doubanjiang is bitter — keep the heat moderate.
- 05
Simmer the tofu
6 minAdd the stock and soy sauce, bring to a simmer, then slide in the tofu. Simmer 5 minutes without stirring, shaking the pan instead.
- 06
Thicken and finish
2 minMix the cornflour with 2 tbsp water and drizzle in, shaking until the sauce clings. Scatter with peppercorn powder and spring onion.
Chef tips
- — Shake the wok instead of stirring to protect the tofu.
- — Use the freshest doubanjiang you can find.
Common mistakes
- — Using firm tofu, which does not absorb the sauce.
- — Skipping the peppercorn finish, which removes the numbing note.
Substitutions
- Minced pork → Finely chopped shiitake mushroomsAdd 1 tsp soy for savouriness.
- Fermented black beans → Extra doubanjiangSlightly less complex.
Storage & serving
Refrigerate 2 days. Reheat gently — boiling breaks the tofu.
Serve over plain rice with a stir-fried green vegetable.
Food safety
Cook pork through. Reheat leftovers to steaming hot.
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