# Spicy Sichuan Mapo Tofu

> Mapo tofu is a Sichuan dish of **soft tofu** in a sauce of **spicy broad bean paste (doubanjiang)** and **numbing Sichuan pepper**. The key is **blanching the tofu in salted water** before cooking so the cubes hold together instead of breaking up in the sauce.

**Chinese Cuisine · 30 min · 4 servings · 280 kcal per serving**

Mapo tofu is the best-known Sichuan dish in the world — cheap, fast, and entirely vegetarian if you leave out the meat. It carries two different kinds of heat: the burn of chilli and the numbing tingle of Sichuan pepper.

## Ingredients

- 500 g — soft or silken tofu
- 150 g — minced meat (optional — omit for vegetarian)
- 2 tbsp — doubanjiang (spicy broad bean paste)
- 1 tbsp — fermented black bean paste (optional)
- 3 cloves — garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp — grated ginger
- 1 tsp — ground Sichuan pepper
- 1 1/2 cups — vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 tbsp — cornflour dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
- 3 tbsp — vegetable oil
- 3 stalks — spring onion, sliced
- 1 tsp — salt, for blanching the tofu

## Method

1. **Blanch the tofu** — Cut the tofu into **2 cm** cubes. Bring water to a gentle simmer with a teaspoon of salt, add the tofu and leave it **two minutes**. This tightens the protein so the cubes hold together in the sauce, and it removes the raw beany taste. Drain gently.
2. **Brown the meat** — Heat the oil in a wok or wide pan over high heat and brown the mince until it loses its pink colour and begins to colour — about **4 minutes**. For the vegetarian version, skip this and start at the next step with the same amount of oil.
3. **Bloom the pastes** — Lower to medium heat, add the **doubanjiang** and stir for **a full minute** until the oil turns red and the smell changes. This is the most important step in the dish — unbloomed paste tastes raw and salty. Add the garlic and ginger and stir 30 seconds.
4. **Stock and tofu** — Pour in the stock and bring it to a gentle simmer. Lower the tofu cubes in carefully and **do not stir with a spoon** — swirl the pan itself in a circular motion so the tofu does not break. Simmer gently for **5 minutes** so it absorbs the sauce.
5. **Thicken in three stages** — Add **a third** of the cornflour slurry and swirl the pan, then wait half a minute for it to thicken. Repeat twice more. This gradual thickening is the traditional Chinese method and gives a glossy sauce that coats the tofu — adding it all at once gives a heavy, gelatinous texture.
6. **Finish and serve** — Turn off the heat and scatter over the **ground Sichuan pepper** and spring onion. The pepper goes in at the end because its aromatic oil is volatile and disappears under prolonged heat. Serve immediately, very hot, with white rice.

## Tips

- Two minutes of blanching in salted water is the difference between intact cubes and a mashed dish.
- Swirl the pan rather than stirring with a spoon — soft tofu breaks at the first touch.
- Sichuan pepper is not hot — it is **numbing**, giving a distinctive tingle. Without it the dish is still good but loses its signature.
- Doubanjiang substitute: tomato paste + chilli + a spoon of miso or soy sauce — an approximation, not a match.

## FAQ

### Why does my tofu break up in the sauce?
You did not blanch it first. Two minutes in salted simmering water tightens the protein so the cubes hold. Stirring with a spoon is the other cause — swirl the pan in a circle instead.

### Can I make it vegetarian?
Yes — skip the mince and start at the paste-blooming step with the same amount of oil, using vegetable stock. You can add finely chopped mushrooms in place of the meat for texture and umami.

### What can replace doubanjiang?
Nothing matches it exactly, but tomato paste with chilli and a spoon of miso or soy sauce comes close. Doubanjiang is sold in Asian grocers and keeps for months in the fridge.

### Why thicken in three stages?
It is the traditional Chinese method and gives a glossy sauce that coats the tofu precisely. Adding the starch all at once produces a heavy, gelatinous texture, and you cannot undo it if it goes too far.

---

Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/chinese-cuisine/sichuan-mapo-tofu
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-10-23