(Chinese recipes, prepare authentic Chinese food now!)
Recently, my colleague asked me for Mapo Tofu/麻婆豆腐 recipe. He has just gotten into cooking and wished to try making Mapo Tofu at home. I was psyched by the idea of teaching a novice home cook with my secret Mapo Tofu recipe; great recipes are meant to be shared.
I went through the recipe with him in great length. But he ditched the idea of making Mapo Tofu from scratch. It was too complicated and troublesome, he said. He bought a packet of instant Mapo Tofu mix instead.
Is Mapo Tofu/麻婆豆腐 so hard to make at home? Does the long list of ingredients appear intimidating to a novice home cook? I asked myself. The answer is–unfortunately–yes. Making a plate of Mapo Tofu that oozes the signature mala/麻辣 (numbing spiciness) flavor without losing its originality is not easy…
I learned my Mapo Tofu recipe from a Sichuan friend, the birthplace of this famed Chinese recipe. My friend’s mother attended the Sichuan Culinary Institute at Chengdu, so this Mapo Tofu recipe is as authentic as it can be. The Mapo Tofu recipe is not for the faint-hearted, it’s lip-smackingly spicy and downright incendiary (think Angelina Jolie’s lips after eating this!)
BEE-STUNG SWOLLEN LIPS ARE IN, but consider yourself warned. ;)
Related Recipes:
Some of my featured Chinese recipes are:
Cashew Chicken
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Kung Pao Chicken
Fried Wonton
Ginger and Black Fungus Chicken
Restaurant-style Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce
Chinese Jiaozi/Leeks and Pork Dumplings
Dragon Well Tea Shrimp (龙井虾仁)
Fried Vermicelli (Rice Sticks)
Ingredients:
1 block silken tofu (19 oz box)
1/4 lb ground pork
3 tablespoons Sichuan spicy bean paste (辣豆瓣酱)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3 tablespoons chili oil
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns (roasted and ground to powder)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon fermented black beans (rinsed and pounded)
2 stalks of leeks or scallions (chopped into 1 or 2-inch length)
2 gloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste
Method:
Cut the tofu into small pieces, drain the water from the tofu and set aside. Heat up a wok and pour in the cooking oil and chili oil. Add the chopped garlic, ground pork, spicy bean paste and stir-fry until the pork is half-done. Then add in chili powder, soy sauce, fermented black beans and stir-fry until aromatic. Add in the tofu and water; stir gently to blend the tofu (don’t break them) well with the sauce. Lower the heat and simmer for about 3-5 mins or until the sauce thickens. Add in the roasted Sichuan peppercorn powder and chopped scallions. Gently stir and blend well. Dish out and serve hot.
Cook’s notes:
- To tone down the numbing spiciness of this dish, use less roasted sichuan peppercorn powder, chili powder, and chili oil. Adjust them to fit your palate.
- Mo Po Tofu (麻婆豆腐) literally means “Pock-Marked Old Lady Tofu” (I know!). You can read about the origin of this dish here.
- The Ma Po Tofu served at Chinese restaurants in the US has been adapted to appeal to local taste–the level of numbing spiciness is largely toned down.
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{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks so much for this recipe Rasa! When I was in college, I used to buy the packet mix and always wished I knew how to make the real thing. I’m gonna have to give your recipe a try.
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I love this dish! In Hawaii, they also serve this over ramen with the soup!
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Rasa, nice to see this authentic recipe. It validated what I make which is very similar, but I keep it vegetarian, using minced tofu instead of pork.
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this looks like a lovely dish. The long list of ingredients is not intimidating but all that chili is. But then again my lips can use that bee-stung look ;).
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Mmmm, mapo tofu ramen…haven’t had that in a long time!
We make a version out of the “Cook Malaysian” cookbook by Lee Sook Ching that uses tau cheong (brown bean) paste. We also cut out the chili sauce so the kiddies can eat it.
I don’t know if I can handle authentic Sichuan-style mapo tofu.
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our experience with tofu in KL is mostly of the raw/fresh kind with minced meats/salted fish with spring onion leaves or fried garlic toppings or sizzling Japanese tofus but generally this dish by itself as a meal is often forgotten in most eating out meals , maybe people consider it soft and plain and generally must go with other meats or veges as a supplement. Tho of course tofu is king of the vegetarian meal !
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Oh no, sichuan peppercorns are near-impossible to find where I am. I’ve even considered asking chinese restaurants where they source theirs!
* also, I’ve never seen fermented black beans before..
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I think the real “problem” for the average home cook isn’t the long list of ingredients - in fact, that wasn’t even that long of a list. The problem for most of us, is that those are not the ingredients we have on hand nor are we used to them. Most of us boring American have a ton of ingredients on hand - personally, I always have flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla, many vinegars, olive oil, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, cinnamon…well, the list can go on. But, I just don’t have the majority of the ingredients you list, and I am not familiar with them. For instance, I know exactly how much red pepper flake I like in my homemade spaghetti, but spicy bean paste? No clue.
All I am trying to say in this long, drawn out response is that we typical Americans are just not used to Asian cooking. I have tried it, but have never become comfortable with the ingredients. So, while your list isn’t so long or complicated, it can be intimidating to someone who isn’t familiar with using them. However, only practice and tasting can get us to that level of comfort with something new. I am willing to put in that effort. So…thanks for posting this recipe.
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my sichuan friend leifang made excellent ma po tofu, using chili oil and sichuan peppercorns she roasted herself, plus d garlic, ginger etc.then she surprised me by whipping out a pkt of mapo tofu mix she’d brought back fm sichuan. tt’s when i realised why no matter how i try i never get THAT sichuan taste, n i too use d mix now!
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I LOVE this recipe! Thanks for posting. I’ll be trying it when my friend is back…
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My boyfriend is vegetarian but I love this dish with rice. How can I make this Vegetarian?
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I absolutely love Ma Po Tofu and I’m so glad to have your tongue-numbing recipe. For those who are accustomed to Asian ingredients, this recipe is not at all complicated. I have most everything in my pantry. I do, however, substitute ground turkey for the pork when I make it at home.
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I just love this dish. Tofu, and it’s hot!
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Yum! I love super spicy tofu dishes and am definitely keeping this recipe to try out the bee-stung look. Thanks for posting it!
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I once had this at an authentic chinese restaurant in Flushing,NY. I thought I was having an allergy when I felt my mouth go numb and the tingling set in. Thanks so much for the recipe.
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That doesn’t seem too scary to me. But it does sound scrumptious!
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ooh you believe it …i just made ma po tofu yesterday …(hehe and me too i used the ready Lee Kum Kee packet) along with crispy sichuan Peking duck at home !!
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I have so many tofu recipes bookmarked and this has just been added. Haven’t gotten around to cooking any yet :)
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这个做法好正宗呢~:)
我也喜欢传统的料理方法，相对的速食调料包风味上确实差很多，可是适合懒人啦~
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No, it doesn’t look that complicated :) Is the silken tofu the same type as the Japanese tofu? The only ones I get here are either firm tofu or japanese silken tofu which is very soft and at the slightest stir, it breaks up.
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it looks wonderful! But I have not all the ingredients..too bad! anyway, I have your pictures ;-) cheers
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Ma Po is one of my favourite home cooked dishes. I use beef mince instead of pork. But I find that turkey mince gives it a more delicate flavour.
BTW, I “cooked” Sashimi for the first time today. I’m really excited. All you need is very fresh fish and a very sharp knife!
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I’ve been looking for an authentic recipe of ma po tufu for a long time… Thanks for sharing the recipe. :-)
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oh wow rasa this is a beautiful piece of work! the color of the sauce is wonderful. the combo of silken tofu and ground pork sounds jsut perfect too. this is a recipe I MUST try :):)
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Absolutely beautiful! I just love your photos!
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1st time here. I’m a fellow Malaysian iving in Switzerland. U have a super duper site. Keep up the great job.
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The oil puts me off ler…
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I LOVE this dish. I like mine only a little spicy which is a problem as most restaurants serve it way too hot for wimpy ‘lil’ me.
I’ll have to try your recipe but bring the heat down. I am nowhere near as hot and spicy as you are (heh heh heh).
It’s so sad that your friend succumbed to buying an instant packet. Sigh.
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You are so beautiful
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Goodness but that looks delicious! We love using tofu in our kitchen, though I’m always on the lookout for new recipes to try and/or modify for our vegetarian tastes. Sweet & sour tofu has been our fav of late, but your recipe looks too good to pass up. Hope you don’t mind my tinkering!
Ari (Baking and Books)
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Ma Po Tofu is one of my favorite dishes. Yours looks really good, though it looks a bit hotter than the one that I make.
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Your story sounds familiar. Recently a non-cooking friend of mine asked me for my lemon chicken recipe, he was going to try to make it. At first I was so excited, then I found out when he actually tried making it he didn’t have half the ingredients and it didn’t work out at all. I was so sad!
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Oh YUM! This is my favorite dish in the world!!!! It looks wonderful
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Marvin - you are welcome. No more packet mix for you. ;)
K&S - wow, Ma Po Tofu with ramen, that sounds like a very good idea. :)
Evolvingtastes - yep, you can make it a vegetarian dish easily. You can also try adding finely chopped carrots and shitake mushrooms too.
Veron - LOL, yeah, it’s like having a lip augmentation without all those crazy needles and injections, and I guarantee you won’t look like Meg Ryan after eating this dish. :P
Nate 2.0 - tau cheo will work too. I love Sichuan food because of that spicy kick, but mine is considered toned down…you should see the real Sichuan Map Po Tofu, with crazy oil! LOL.
TeamBSG - you are right…I haven’t had Ma Po Tofu in Malaysia…only know this dish after I came to the US.
Manggy - where are you located?
Foodette - thanks for your comment. You are correctm likewise, I am not familiar with western ingredients either and have no idea whatsoever how to source those foreign looking ingredients. So I always stick to the really simple western dishes. But the willingness to explore and learn more about other cuisines will overcome that intimidation, hopefully. :)
Terri - the mix is really not so bad. They are as good as it gets, but when you make everything from scratch, you just have that satisfaction when you eat it. Hehe.
Anh - cool. I look forward to hearing your verdict about my recipe.
Anonymous - you can use dried shitake mushrooms instead. Try it and let me know if you like it.
Lydia - ground turkey, that’s a great idea. You can also use beef, or chicken. It’s really up to personal liking. :)
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Bayi - yeah, hot tofu is good. :)
Hilda - I should have posted my bee-stung lips after eating this dish. But that would scare everyone away I swear. LOL.
Gini - I know what you mean, I felt weird the first time I had Sichuan peppercorn. But then right after that, I was like “that was cool!” ;)
Kiriel - so I take it that you like spicy food.
Kate - you can do no wrong with Lee Kum Kee, but I am sure it’s toned down on the spiciness. ;)
Cynthia - stop bookmarking…make it for real. Hehe.
Yoyo’s Food - 速食调料包风味差太多了。
Cooking Ninja - yeah, it’s the Japanese tofu. Yeah, that’s why you can’t stir too much. You can also use the regular soft tofu, it will work, but I like silken tofu.
Claude - yeah, you can eat my blog. Hehe.
Tunku Halim - cool. Looks like ground turkey is the way to go, will have to try it next time. Haha, yeah, sashimi is really easy to “cook.”
Piggy - quick quick cook and post it on your blog. :)
Aria - thanks for your kind comment. Yes, must try!
Nicisme - thanks. :)
Puspha - hey, fellow Malaysia. Thanks for visiting. Do come by often. :)
Pablo - use less oil lo. :P
Chubby Hubby - yeah, you can tone down the chili oil and chili powder and Sichuan peppercorn to your own liking. Well, bee-stung lips on a guy is not advisable. LOL. ;)
Yoymimismo - thanks. :)
Ari - yeah, you can use dried shitake mushrooms or diced carrots instead of meat. Good eating!
Kevin - I love it hot. LOL.
Brilynn - yeah, most of the time people get lazy and they cheat that’s why packet mix is a HUGE business. Hehe. :)
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Haha, sounds like something I would do if it looked too intimidating or the list was too long.I love mapo tofu but only ever ordered it in restaurants, I’ve never even seen packet mixes for it here. Yours looks so yummy!
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Thank!!! for this recipe. tofu is always one of my fav food. Love it. Very nice presentation too:)
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“That Sichuan taste” that someone noted above is usually a result of using the correct variety of 辣豆瓣酱. In particular, look for 郫县豆瓣.
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thanks, nuce site…this is a pretty standard recipe…sorry your friend thinks it is too complicated…he is really missing a good dish! I prefer to add about 2 tablespoons of fermented black beans and I also prefer Ma Po Dofu over noodles/spaghetti rather than over rice.
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Your ma po tofu recipe looks really hot! Im still thinking if i should try make this ma po tofu. ;)
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This is my comfort food…and what I always crave! ALL of your recipes look drool worthy…
Thank you!
Amy
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apologies if someone down the chain has already said this - but might be good to distinguish between the two kinds of spiciness that the peppercorns and chili sauce respectively contribute to the dish - the peppercorns make it ma2/tingly spicy, while the sauce makes it la4/hot spicy. Some folks might wanna cut down just on the la4 while keeping the ma2, in which case they’ll want to reduce the amount of sauce while keeping the same amount of peppercorns
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I’ve been making this for about 3 years now. Love it!!! One of those dishes that feels oh so good in the winter when it’s cool & cloudy. Perfect texture, spice, & porkiness!!!
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Yes, this is a simple dish that does a lot.
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Hello,
My hubby made Ma Po Tofu with your recipe tonight and it definitely rivals my mom’s when she used to make it from scratch. It was simply delicious and brought back memories of my childhood. My hubby went a little overboard with the chili and made it too spicy for his taste but it was bee-stung swollen lips for me.
I love your blog; your blog and Jen’s (userealbutter.com) are probably two of my favorite blog.
My next recipe to try is the lettuce leaf wraps…mmmmm… :o)
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Shaoshanna - thanks for the sweet comment. Yes, let me know how your lettuce wraps turn out. :)
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I live in China and I’ve been looking for an authentic Ma Po Tofu recipe for ages. I tried your recipe a few days ago, and it seriously rivals the Ma Po Tofu we get in the many Sichuan restaurants in our city. In fact, it’s better, since it doesn’t have loads of MSG! I put a shout-out to you on my blog for this recipe - thank you!
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Hi RM,
I got the peppercorns and am new to all these cooking terms. Just wondering what you meant by roasted? Do i just throw them in a pan and stir it around?
Cheers :)
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Yes, you will smell the aroma and that’s when they are “roasted.”
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Hi Rasamalaysia, I’m new to your website and so impressed with all your beautiful pictures and delicious recipes. Btw, I’m going to have a house warming party this weekend and wish to serve some finger foods and also dinner. I’m thinking of trying your Ma Po Tofu for the first time and I’m so excited about it :) because everyone I invite loves tofu. Also the Kung Pao Chicken. But now I’m wondering if I cook a large portion (for about 20 peoples), should all the ingredients be exactly the same, just double or tripled them? Or the recipe will be different. I tried to check out from your “Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Summer White Party” but I still clueless :( I know that this question sounds silly, but I’m so not screwing up my party. Please help… Oh, and I appreciate it :)
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Yes, you can cook them in batches, that would be the safe bet, and yes, the ratio should be the same.
Good luck.
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mvnw replied:
Hi Rasamalaysia, thanks for your reply. I went with the risky bet option, that is cooked them in according to the ratio, but it turned out too spicy and too salty. Luckily i got my husband to run to buy some more tofu and chicken, and then (phew) it turn out okay. A few days after that house warming dinner though, i tried the same recipes, this time as it is, and they turned out wonderful. I wish i went for the safest bet on that party, but i guess i was too lazy to cook a few batches… hehehe. Anyway, thanks a lot and Looking forward for all your new delicious recipes and beautiful photos! :)
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I tried making Mapo Tofu using this recipe, and my first attempt was a disaster.
I say this because the recipe calls for three tablespoons of Spicy Bean Paste. On my first attempt, it was way too salty. I thought there was something wrong with the recipe, or one of the ingredients. I had to add one more block of tofu and a whole cup of water to offset all that salt.
On my second attempt, I only used one tablespoon of Spicy Bean Paste. This time, it came out perfect.
If anyone plans on trying this recipe, you should be careful with the Spicy Bean Paste, because I’m pretty sure each brand has its own taste, and the one that I have just happens to have too much salt.
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Jay - thanks for your comment, yes, different brand has different salt level, it’s best you taste it. Some reader have tried this recipe and had wonderful results.
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