Mapo tofu needs no introduction. The pillars of Sichuan cuisine have sufficiently infiltrated main-stream gastro culinary culture that any foodist worth his weight in dimes has a good idea what it is and might have even tasted off-versions of it in passing.
I have never been able to find decent mapo tofu outside China. Too oily, too salty, too watery, not enough red, not enough numb, not enough sauce. A myriad elements need to be right, the temperature of the wok scorching, the peppercorns freshly roasted and crushed, starch mixture added at the right moment with the right consistency; resulting in small silken cubes- not crumbles- of tofu, bathed in a glistening red elixir. Over rice, this is one of the simplest yet greatest mouthfuls you’ll ever have.
The mecca of mapo tofu is ever elusive and always just out of reach.
In 2008, I took some classes at the Sichuan Culinary Institute under the tutelage of one of the most sought after chefs in the country. Read the account here. Of the classic Sichuan dishes I learned, including shui zhu yu “waterboiled” fish, dan dan mian, and yuxiang qiezi “fish fragrant eggplant”, the mapo tofu was the only dish I retained and made many times afterwards.
The ingredients can be found in any decently stocked Chinese supermarket, and with the right ingredients and mastery of technique, its hard to ever trust any mom and pop restaurant to prepare this again. After tasting the work of master chefs in Sichuan, I’ve even gone as far as dethroning my mother from her place in my memory as the priestess of mapo tofu. She will always be credited for introducing this dish to me, and responsible for the intense addiction I’ve nursed over the years.
Every foodist has a sacred dish. One’s last meal on earth should the choice prevail.
This is mine.
Recipe for Mapo Tofu (vegetarian edition)
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of collaborating with recipe developer and fellow food blogger Yasmin at lesauce.com to develop our own spin on mapo tofu. Yasmin being a vegetarian, we got creative finding an alternate to the minced pork/beef commonly found in the dish. Turns out king mushrooms are the perfect replacement. Minced finely and deep fried in a soy sauce, vinegar and salt marinade, the pieces turn out beautifully crisp and with all the umami to pack as good a punch as any pork. Click here to see her post.
Here is the recipe. Follow exactly for best results. Trust us- this is tried, tested, and true.
- Add mushrooms and 3/4 tsp salt to a small bowl and mix well with your hands, pressing the salt into the mushrooms well. Add soy sauce and red vinegar and mix to combine. Let marinade for 5 minutes, then squeeze out all liquid by pressing mushrooms firmly between paper towels or cheese cloth
- Heat a wok over high heat, add 1/4 c oil and when hot, add the mushrooms. Separate the pieces so they don’t clump. Once they are golden brown remove using a slotted spoon and transfer to a kitchen paper lined plate. Clean the wok and heat over high again.
- Add the remaining 1/4 c of oil to the wok and once heated, add the chili paste, soy bean paste, chilies, black beans, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about a minute.
- Add the water, sugar, and soy sauce and stir well to mix.
- Slide the tofu in and gently swirl the wok to bathe all of the pieces in the sauce without breaking the cubes, or use a spoon to carefully mix and cover them in sauce. This is very important. No one wants to eat tofu crumbles. The cubes must stay in tact. Lower heat slightly and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Mix the cornstarch well and then pour evenly into the wok. Again, swirl the wok to incorporate the cornstarch or use a spoon and mix carefully. Simmer for about 3 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Add mushrooms back to wok
- Sprinkle the scallions over top just before removing from heat. It is also important not to add the scallions too early; it becomes soggy and loses its pungency.
- Pour onto a platter or transfer the tofu and sauce to a platter carefully. Top with ground Sichuan pepper and serve immediately over white rice.
The colour should be a brilliant red, with enough sauce to soak your rice, and a perfect harmony of salty, sweet, and spicy depth that is topped off with the numbing ground Sichuan pepper.
Even a dish as perfect as this is useless after 15 minutes off the stove, so consume while hot!
So now you’ve entered the sacred temple of tofu. Tell me, how was it?
the grocery list, more or less
use the tips of fresh scallions
plump and meaty king mushrooms, packed with umami
the condiments at a glance
carefully cut the tofu into small cubes
an extremely hot wok is essential for this dish
swirl the wok to coat the tofu with sauce. no spatulas.
serve over rice and stuff into your face immediately. now tell me, is there a closer heaven than this?
36 hours in shanghai
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17 Comments
Hi there!
Thank you so much for do this great job with this blog, i really love the things that you write here.
Is hard to find the things that you use to do this kind of food ( I’m from Brazil) but i’ll tri to find, deserve me luck! hahaha
Bye, and please keeep doing this job!
Thanks Leandro for your kind comment. I’m glad you find this content interesting :) Do you have a chinese grocery store where you live? Any decently stocked one would have the ingredients listed in this recipe. Good luck with the dish, looking forward to hearing your feedback!
So Jenny, it`s a shame for my city, but there`s no chinese stores here, we have 3 that I know but only for decoration things not food, sad truth.
But i`ll will keep looking!
Ps. Maybe you can spend some holiday here in brazil, we got a lot of good food that i think you`ll like to try,
I love ma po tofu! Oddly enough it’s something that I started making at home before I had ever tasted it elsewhere. Will have to try your version (with pork instead of mushrooms tho).
give the mushrooms a shot ;) I love pork but this version truly is good too. Just check out your blog, great stuff!
I just love mapotofu, and will definitely try this recipe this week. Is it possible to get the chinese names of the different ingredients ? :) just to make sure.
Hey Gabriel, check out the picture of the grocery list for the chinese names.
I love mapo tofu too, and I agree that it’s hard to find decent ones in restaurants. Thanks for sharing the recipe! Any other substitute for king mushroom?
This dish looks almost as hot as you. ;)
I’m excited to try this out and convince my spice-loving man that tofu can be just as delicious as meat.
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Your technique for the king mushrooms is fantastic! I adapted your recipe for a dinner party this weekend and it was very well-received. Thanks for this excellent post.
Thanks Kim! I’m so glad you and your guests liked this dish, its one of my favourites :)
Jing, where did you get that wok? It looks like it has a great seasoning on it!
It’s my friend’s, I think it was from Chinatown in Toronto!
I absolutely love Ma Po tofu. Do you think it would be possible to use shitake mushrooms?
Hey Olivia, shiitake mushrooms tend to be softer than king mushrooms, and may not crisp in the same way, but you can definitely mince and use it to the same effect. The mushroom will add a nice umami kick in lieu of traditional minced pork/beef. let me know how it turns out :)