Mapo Tofu - Light Version
麻婆豆腐 • This home-cooked dish is seriously addictive with rice! It's so easy, literally anyone can make it, and it only takes a few minutes!
The tofu is super tender and the minced meat is savoury... mixing it all with rice is just perfection.
- Serves
- 2
- Prep
- 3 minutes
- Cook
- 5 minutes
- Total
- 8 minutes
Ingredients
- 100 g Pork meat
- 1 clove Garlic , chopped
-
1 tbsp
Sichuan fermented chili bean paste
Also known as: douban, toban-djan, broad bean chili sauce, fermented chili bean paste
豆瓣酱 dòubànjiàng • Is a hot and savory Chinese bean paste made from fermented broad beans (fava beans), chili peppers, soybeans, salt, and flour. Characteristically used in Sichuan cuisine, it has been called "the soul of Sichuan cuisine". The best-known variety of doubanjiang is arguably Píxiàn dòubànjiàng 郫縣豆瓣醬 named for Pixian (now Pidu District, Chengdu city), Sichuan.
Where to find it: Chinese and asian markets
-
500 g
Silken tofu
Also known as: soft tofu, nèndòufu, huádòufu, smooth tofu, kinugoshi-dōfu, yeon-dubu
嫩豆腐 nèndòufu / 内酯豆腐 nèizhì dòufu / 滑豆腐 huádòufu • kinugoshi-dōfu (絹漉し豆腐) in Japanese, and yeon-dubu (연두부 / 軟豆腐) in Korean. Gelled with gypsum, this tofu is undrained, and unpressed, and contains a high moisture content. Silken tofu is produced by coagulating soy milk without cutting the curd. Silken tofu is available in several consistencies, including soft and firm, but all silken tofu is more delicate than regular firm tofu (pressed tofu) and it has different culinary uses. Silken tofu can be used as a substitute for dairy products and eggs, especially for smoothies and baked desserts.
Where to find it: Asian and Chinese markets
-
1
Spring onion
Available at: Supermercat YangKuang (Barcelona)
For the Sauce
Method
-
1
Sauce prep: Mix the ingredients until smooth.
-
2
Cut the silken tofu into cubes of ~3 cm.
-
3
Heat up some oil (not too hot), toss in the minced meat and fry until it gets lightly browned. And then toss in the garlic, and the dòubànjiàng paste and stir-fry well, until the sauce and the pork mixed well.
-
4
Add the tofu and gently stir-fry, carefully tossing the cubes until they are evenly coated with the sauce.
-
5
Pour in the prepared sauce and let everything simmer for about 3 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
-
6
Sprinkle it with chopped spring onions, and it’s ready to serve!
Notes
- Keep the cubes relatively large, as silken tofu is very soft and delicate. If cut too small, the pieces may break apart or become mushy during cooking.
- In Chinese cooking, when a recipe calls for minced meat, such as pork or beef, it’s generally best to add the meat before the wok gets too hot. Cook it slowly, breaking it apart as you stir, until the meat changes color and the rendered fat becomes clear.
- If the wok is too hot when you add the minced meat, the meat can quickly clump together, making it harder to break apart and cook evenly.
- Wait until the moisture from the meat has cooked off and the rendered fat looks clear before adding any sauces or seasonings. This helps remove excess moisture and allows the meat to develop a richer flavor. If you add the sauce too early, while there is still a lot of moisture in the wok, the meat may end up tasting watery and less flavorful.