Sichuan Mapo Tofu Recipe

I used to wonder why people would order Mapo tofu all the time at my restaurant. I didn’t eat it growing up so I didn’t get what the big deal was. But after I had it, I understood the allure of it. The soft silky tofu combined with the fragrant spices mixed into the meat.

Easy Mapo Tofu Recipe

Mabo tofu “麻婆豆腐” is a Sichuan comfort food that is light yet packs a powerful punch in flavor. “麻” means numb in Chinese, a popular type of spice in Sichuan cuisine. This spice is quite popular and can be considerably addicting. I myself, notice that when I eat this dish, I can’t help but keep getting second helpings of rice.  If you have kids, this is also an easy dish to make for kids that has soft components to make it easy for kids to ingest. Just omit the spicy peppers and the dish still tastes really delicious. Most importantly it can be made in less than 30 minutes!

Ingredients

• 1 box of soft tofu
• ½  lb ground turkey, pork, or beef 
• 1 tsp white pepper
• ½ tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, sliced and bruised
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1 tbsp of soybean paste
• ½ tbsp of thai chili pepper, deseeded and sliced (optional) 

Thickening Sauce

• ¼ cup of water
• 3 tsps of cornstarch

Instructions

1. Take a mixing bowl and marinate turkey with white pepper, sesame oil, corn starch, and 1 tsp salt for 5 minutes. Reserve remaining ½ teaspoon of salt for later use.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil on a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger.

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3. Add turkey/pork/beef to pan and sautee until the meat is evenly cooked. 

4. Add in chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Add in soybean paste and sliced red pepper (optional).

5. Open the box of tofu and drain out excess water. Dice tofu into small 1/2 inch cubes.

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6. In a small bowl, combine cold water and cornstarch and mix.

7. Add remaining ½ tsp of salt to season tofu

8. Once chicken broth starts boiling, pour the corn starch mix into the pan and allow sauce to thicken. Once sauce thickens, carefully fold in tofu into pan, careful not to break up the tofu.

9. After a few minutes, remove pan from heat 

10. Garnish with green onions on top and serve with a plate of rice. 

Vegetarian Option

• 1 box of soft tofu
• 1 tsp white pepper
• ½ tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, sliced and bruised
• 1 cup of vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp of soybean paste
• ½ tbsp of thai chili pepper, deseeded and sliced (optional) 

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