Mapo tofu is one of the famous Sichuan dishes. The main ingredients include tofu, minced beef , chili, and Sichuan peppercorn. The numbing spiciness comes from the Sichuan peppercorn, while the spiciness comes from the chili. This dish highlights the characteristic of numbing and spicy in Sichuan cuisine. The dish was first created during the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor of the Qing dynasty by a restaurant owner named Chen in Chengdu city. Chen had a face covered with freckles and was called “Chen Mapo” (ma-po means freckles woman). The dish she invented, “burning tofu,” was named after her and became known as “Chen Mapo Tofu.” My recipe uses less chili, so it is fragrant but not spicy.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Cut the tofu into ½-inch cubes and set aside.
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Heat the wok over low heat , add half of the oil and toast the Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant. Remove Sichuan peppercorns and grind them into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
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Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the ginger , garlic and red chile flakes until fragrant. Turn up the heat to high and add the minced beef and stir-fry until browned. Add chili bean paste and stir for about 1 minute.
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Add the tofu with soy sauce, sugar and Shaoxing wine to the wok and stir to combine. Pour in chicken broth to cover the tofu and bring the mixture to a simmer for 3 minutes.
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In a bowl, mix the cornstarch with water and set aside.
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Slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture and stir, until the sauce thickens and coats the tofu. Season with ground Sichuan peppercorn and add the green onions to the wok and stir to combine.
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Serve the Mapo tofu hot with steamed rice.
Notes
You can find Douban jiang, a spicy fermented chili bean paste, at your local Asian grocery store.