Name: Mapo Dofu
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 4 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine; 200 g (10½ oz) silken tofu; 2 tbsp roasted chilli flakes in oil, drained, plus extra; steamed rice, to serve; 3 tbsp toban jiang (hot chilli bean paste); 250 ml 9 fl oz) stock; 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) minced pork or beef; 4 spring onions (scallions); 1 tbsp sesame oil; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 tbsp grated ginger; 1½ tbsp cornflour; 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
30 min

Appears in

My Asian Kitchen

By Jennifer Joyce

Published 2018

About

Mapo dofu means ‘pockmarked old lady’, and references the curdled texture of the tofu used in this Sichuan dish. The secret to the spicy pork sauce is the chilli bean paste called toban jiang, which is made from fermented broad beans, garlic and chilli. The Japanese do their own version (mabo don) featuring a similar combination. This makes a quick weekday meal spooned up over rice.