The Japanese version of this famous Sichuan spicy dish (Mapo Tofu/Mapo Doufu) is made with readily available ingredients and it is a lot less oily but is still an incredible flavour explosion in a bowl – I want the sauce on tap! This dish is on the table in 15 minutes, only 340 calories per serving and you can adjust the spiciness to your own taste. Serve it with rice – and because it is so saucy, I often add vegetables to it to make it a complete meal, such as chopped Chinese greens (Chinese broccoli, bok choy, pak choy) or even grated carrots!
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Mapo Tofu
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil (peanut, vegetable or canola)
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 tsp ginger , finely chopped or minced
- 1/4 cup scallions/shallots , minced
- 5 oz / 150 g ground/minced pork (or beef or chicken)
- 2 tsp chili bean sauce , adjust to taste (see notes)
- 12 oz / 300 g Firm Tofu (see notes)
Sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp chicken or vegetable stock powder
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 2 tbsp Sake or Chinese Wine
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine cornflour with a splash of water, mix to combine, then add remaining Sauce ingredients and mix well.
- Cut the tofu into 1/2 "/ 1 cm cubes.
- Heat oil in wok over high heat.
- Add garlic and ginger and stir fry for 10 seconds.
- Add scallions/shallots and stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Add mince and stir fry until the outside is brown, breaking up clumps.
- Add Chili Bean Sauce and stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Add tofu and sauce, and gently stir to cook the sauce until it becomes thick and saucy (about 1 to 2 minutes).
- Serve with rice.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
julie says
Nagi, please, please don’t stop dishing out the tofu recipes. It’s the loss of the non tofu eaters who do not know what they’re missing out on! By the way, this mapo tofu is just WOW. Thanks heaps.
AC says
Made this tonight for dinner, SO TASTY! Added in some grated carrot, Chinese broccoli, and baby peas to bulk it up and have enough for a couple of lunches during the week. Will add this recipe to my regular rotation 🙂
Ping says
Wonderful recipe. Simple and packed with flavour! Will definitely become a staple for our midweek dinners.
Tony Read says
My kids love this- as you say it’s less oily and spicy than most recipes.
Elle says
This was so good! I never could quite make a mean mapo tofu but this recipe, wow, definitely will be on the rotation for quick easy dinners! Thank you Nagi!!
Joy says
Hi Nagi,
Do you mean long green onions or mini onions?
Nagi says
Hi Joy, I use shallots which are also called scallions or green onions depending on where you’re located. N x
Addy says
Hi Nagi! How do you think tofu puffs would go for this dish? I discovered them with your laksa recipe and now LOVEEE them!
Nagi says
Hi Addy, It’s not quite the same but yes you could sub with tofu puffs if you like 🙂 N x
Candy says
We often use the packet mixes for a quick meal but not anymore! We love your recipes as we love Asian and this didn’t fail to satisfy! We had all of the ingredients as they are staples for us. Tasty, saucy and relatively quick and easy!!!
Tony Read says
So simple!
So tasty!!!
Definitely great with a little Szechuan pepper on top- I also used a generous scoop of Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli oil.
Nagi says
YUUUMMMMM!!! I totally agree! N x
NT says
I come back to this recipe again and again. The whole family enjoys it. So satisfyingly saucey.
Jessica says
Tried this tonight and it was delicious! I made traditional mapo tofu a month ago and found it to be too oily and the szechuan powder to be too overpowering. I did add dried chili peppers and a very tiny bit of ground szechuan pepper just for that little kick I was looking for. Turned out perfectly. Thanks!
Nagi says
That’s great to hear Jessica! N x
Jess says
Just cooked and we loved it! Doubled the sauce since we added veggies like eggplant, plus red chili for heat. We also like soft tofu more than firm, so we used that. We just added the tofu last so it won’t break apart.
One question though, we used black bean sauce. Is that the same as chili bean sauce? The black bean sauce we used was very salty so we had to add a bit more water.
Nagi says
Hi Jess, no black bean sauce is different and yes, it’s a salty sauce. If you don’y have chilli bean sauce you can use another chilli sauce like sriracha. N x
Rachel says
So yum!!! I much prefer this over the Chinese version Thank you Nagi! I never have to adjust any seasonings with your recipes.
Nagi says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Rachel!
Janine says
My family loves Mapo Tofu, and I have been searching for a delicious recipe. This one was an absolute hit!!! So tasty, I am making it again tonight and adding some peas at the request of my kids.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved it Janine!!
Rose says
Made this with Quorn Mince to make it vegetarian and it was delicious.
To make it an ‘all in one’ meal, and had these in the freezer, I added haricots verts and soya beans. Thumbs up from the family.
Nagi says
That’s so great to hear Rose ❤️
Leony says
What should I replace the chili bean with if I didn’t want it to be spicy at all?
Nagi says
Hi Leony, you really need the chilli bean mix to make this dish, you can reduce it if you prefer – N x
Linda says
Never been a fan of Tofu but have been trying a few different recipes with it as it is so good for you. This is a real winner. Absolutely loved it. Made enough for work lunches for the week. Thank you for the great recipe!!!
Nagi says
Perfect Linda, I’m so glad you loved it!
Hilary says
That was so flippin delish! Made a double batch to use up the whole tofu block, lunch tomorrow yeeha!
Nagi says
Woot! So glad you love it Hilary!
Chantelle says
Tasty!! I love mapo tofu! I doubled it so my husband would have something tasty for dinner for his shift work. Thanks Nagi!
Chantelle says
Oh and I made this with turkey mince, it is on special at coles and I like how it has a more meatier flavour than chicken mince.
Nagi says
That’s great to hear Chantelle! Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback! N x ❤️
Liz says
Thank you, Nagi, for another ‘keeper’ ☺ Made this for dinner tonight and even hot food intolerant hubby loved it! It was delish!!!!
Phyllis says
This was beautiful and I love how saucy it was! Thank you for sharing!
Nagi says
Fantastic! I’m so glad you enjoyed this Phyllis, thanks for letting me know! N x