Mapo Tofu

Name: Mapo Tofu
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 3 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced, and 1 small handful of finely chopped coriander (cilantro) stalks; coriander (cilantro), leaves only, to garnish; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 tablespoon chopped ginger; 300 g (10½ oz) minced (ground) pork; 175 g (6 oz) whole eggs (about 4 medium eggs), lightly beaten; 1 tablespoon ground Sichuan pepper, plus extra, to serve; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon chopped red chilli; 100 ml (3½ fl oz) chicken stock (Essentials); vegetable oil, for frying; splash of Shaoxing wine; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 400 ml (14½ fl oz) unsweetened soy milk; 1 tablespoon chilli oil; 2 tablespoons chilli bean paste; 2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar; 2 tablespoons oyster sauce; 3 tablespoons white soy sauce; 1 tablespoon chopped garlic

Preparation info

Serves
2

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

Mr Hong

By Dan Hong

Published 2014

About

Everyone knows about mapo tofu. It’s one of the most famous dishes to come out of the Sichuan province. My other favourite cuisine is Japanese and I’m completely obsessed with chawanmushi. It’s like the best savoury crème brûlée. When I created this dish, I wanted to make a custard, rather than just serving it with tofu. The soy milk gives it that tofu element, and I love scooping into this dish – a bit of spicy, slightly numbing pork mince on the top and then the silky savoury custard at t