April 16, 2022, 10:18 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Mapo Tofu is the ultimate comfort food. Although this Chinese specialty is relatively quick to prepare, it tastes incredibly rich. With this recipe, you can cook Mapo Tofu from China yourself.
Mapo Tofu is a well-known dish from Sichuan cuisine, one of the eight different Chinese cuisines. The cuisine, originating from China’s Sichuan province, is gradually gaining popularity in Germany. Especially in Berlin, more and more Sichuan restaurants are popping up. Most dishes in Sichuan cuisine require elaborate preparation and are quite complex. An exception is this recipe for Mapo Tofu from China, which can be prepared relatively quickly.
Sichuan cuisine places particular emphasis on contrasts in flavor. So if you like bold flavors, you will love Mapo Tofu! Our recipe uses three ingredients that you probably won’t find at your local supermarket chain. Sichuan pepper, chili bean paste, and fermented black soybeans are essential to make the dish truly taste like Mapo Tofu. So it’s best to check out an Asian supermarket, where these ingredients should be available.
There are several legends about how Mapo Tofu got its name. The most famous tells of a couple named Chen, who ran a small restaurant in the Chinese city of Chengdu in 1862. The woman had some pockmarks on her face, which is why it is believed that the dish was named after her. Ma means pockmark, and po can be translated to “old woman,” as the Chinese English-language daily ” Chinadaily” writes. It is therefore assumed that Mrs. Chen is the inventor of Mapo Tofu.
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Recipe for Mapo Tofu from China
Ingredients (for 2 people)
- 500 g tofu
- 2 green onions
- 100 g ground meat or meat substitute
- 2 ½ tbsp chili bean paste
- 1 tbsp fermented black soybeans
- 3 garlic cloves
- 5 g ginger
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tbsp Sichuan pepper
Preparation
- Cube the tofu and keep it in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and salt. Mince ginger, green onions, and garlic.
- Heat vegetable oil in a pan and fry the ground meat or meat substitute. Remove and place in a bowl. Crush Sichuan pepper.
- Heat oil again and fry chili bean paste and black soybean paste. After two minutes, add ginger and garlic. Add tofu cubes and season with pepper. Add meat and 175ml water with vegetable broth and let simmer a bit.
- Mix cornstarch with 2 ½ tbsp water. Add Sichuan pepper and green onions. Gradually add cornstarch to the mix, stirring after each spoonful. Serve with rice and enjoy.
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