Iron Chef Chen's Mapo Tofu recipe (2024)

Iron Chef Chen's Mapo Tofu recipe (1)

I was about eleven years old when my parents looked at me startled and then gasped, clutched their hearts and made a phone call.

"She can't speak a word of Chinese" they whispered to each other aghast. Back when we were babies to toddlers, each of us had one grandmother helping my mother. My grandmother, the one whose temper I inherited apparently, would speak to me in Chinese and my parents would speak to me in English. I think they figured it would keep it at a happy medium. I remember speaking a complete mish mash of the two languages with a sentence containing half English and half Chinese words and thinking "I hopethey understand what I'm saying because it sounds a bit strange."

Iron Chef Chen's Mapo Tofu recipe (2)

Then each grandmother moved back to their countries and in their efforts to get my sister and I to assimilate into Australian culture they only spoke English to us. My parents spoke Chinese to each other (and only when they didn't want us to hear what they were saying). And I lost the strange mish mash of the two languages that I spoke and turned from bilingual to monolingual. Post haste at eleven years old they signed my sister and I up for Chinese lessons. I remember going to the class andgroaning when the teacher told us that Chinese was made up of thousands of characters and we would have to learn each character by heart. "And Lorraine, knowing 1, 2 and 3 are good but you'll have to learn more."

I gulped and put my head in my hands. Where was the 26 character alphabet? I was convinced my limit was 26 characters thankyouverymuch. Sadly I never quite got the grasp of speaking Chinese. To her discredit, she didn't teach any of us wayward children Chinese - and this included my sister who was dux at school so she was as good a candidate as any. But I_ now_ really wish I had tried harder and given it a better go. Alas Mr NQN now speaks more than I do (although his is slang Cantonese thatcomes from being expatriated to Hong Kong for a few months for work). I do know some restaurant menu items although my pronunciation is woeful and there are so many inflections that I often get blank looks.

Iron Chef Chen's Mapo Tofu recipe (3)

One of my favourite Chinese dishes is one that I've had a complete resurgence of love for recently - mapo tofu. I've had bad ones and I've had sublime ones. The most sublime being the one served at the Iron Chef dinners, the last one held in Melbourne. There Iron Chef Chinese Chen demonstrated his famous dish - it was the dish with which his father introduced Szechuan cuisine to Japan. Salivating and inhaling the spicyaroma we tried it and it was deep, rich, spicy and swoonworthy. Oh and spicy, after all it is Szechuan cuisine.

On each table at the dinner was a printout, in Japanese of the partial recipe. I couldn't read it but then when I did a quick search to see whether anyone had translated it I found Iron Chef Chen's Mapo tofu recipe all nice and translated! And from watching him demonstrate it, it looked very much like the recipe he had shown us. So I made it with my mother (who has now given up on me learning Chinese). A lot of the work is in the prep and once you had a spice paste and stock mixture prepped andthe tofu parboiled in water, then it is literally 10 minutes or less in a hot wok. It is spicy and not for the faint hearted-wefollowedthis recipe and it was the same heat as what we had at the Iron Chef dinner which is very hot indeed. If you want to cut out the chilli you could perhaps use less chilli oil and less dried chillis but part of the fun is huffing and puffing and then getting a soft morsel of pillowy tofu to soothe the palate.

So tell me Dear Reader, do you speak another language? And is there a language that you'd like to learn?

Iron Chef Chen's Mapo Tofu recipe (4)

Adapted from food.com

Serves 2-3

  • 500g/1 pound regular tofu (not silken)

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 90g/3 ozs minced pork

  • 1/2 cup green garlic chives, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For spicy bean paste:

  • 1 tablespoon Chinese chili bean sauce (or toubanjan or doubanjiang)

  • 1 tablespoons Chinese ground bean sauce (tenmienjan, tenmenjan ir tenmenjiang)

  • 2 teaspoons fermented black beans, chopped finely

  • 1 dried chilli, chopped finely (or 1/2 - 1/2 teaspoon ichimi togarashi pepper) I used dried chilli

For stock mixture:

  • 1 teaspoon chilli oil

  • 3/4 cup chicken stock

  • 1 tablespoon sake or 1 teaspoon dry sherry

  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce

To finish:

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1.5 tablespoons cornflour/cornstarch mixed with 1.5 tablespoons cold water

  • 1 tablespoon szechuan pepper (optional)

  • Boiled white rice to serve

Buyer's tip: The Chinese chilli bean sauce, ground bean sauce and fermented black beans can be found at Asian grocery stores

Iron Chef Chen's Mapo Tofu recipe (5)

Step 1 - Cut tofu into cubes-the recipes says 1 inch cubes which we did but I prefer slightly smaller ones. Heat a saucepan of water and add the salt and tofu pieces gently. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to medium high for 8-10 minutes and then remove from heat and drain gently.

Step 2 - While the tofu is cooking, in a small bowl mix the chilli bean sauce, ground bean sauce, chopped fermented black beans and dried chilli and set aside. In a jug measure the stock, chilli oil, sake or sherry and soy sauce and set aside. Then in a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water and set aside.

Iron Chef Chen's Mapo Tofu recipe (6)

Step 3 - When the tofu is done, heat a wok on high and add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the pork and brown, stirring carefully to separate. Then add the spicy bean paste above cooking for 1 minute.

Step 4 - Then add the stock mixture as well as the tofu pieces. Stir fry very gently for 1-2 minutes.

Iron Chef Chen's Mapo Tofu recipe (7)

Step 5 - Take the wok off the heat and cool for a minute so that the sauce isn't bubbling. Add the cornstarch and stir very gently. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve with Szechuan pepper if desired. But don't forget the rice! It wouldn't be the same without it :)

Iron Chef Chen's Mapo Tofu recipe (8)

Published on 2011-08-03 by Lorraine Elliott.

Iron Chef Chen's Mapo Tofu recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Chinese mapo tofu and Korean mapo tofu? ›

Chinese mapo tofu is made with a soybean paste called doubanjiang. In Korean mapo tofu, this doubanjiang is substituted with a mixture of gochujang and doenjang.

What does mapo tofu mean in Chinese? ›

Mapo tofu is sometimes translated as “pockmarked old woman's bean curd.” (In Chinese, “ma” refers to pockmarks, and “po” can refer to an older woman.)

Is Chinese mapo tofu healthy? ›

Ground pork stir fried with silken tofu in a rich, mildly spicy and deeply flavorsome sauce. Mapo Tofu is a classic Chinese dish full of protein, but this one is healthier as there's less of the chillies and oil. It's very easy to make and great for meal prep too.

What is MAPO tofu sauce made of? ›

Make the Sauce: Combine chicken broth, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, black bean garlic sauce, cornstarch, and Sichuan peppercorns in a bowl; whisk to combine and set aside. Make the Ma Po Tofu: Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides.

Are you supposed to eat mapo tofu with rice? ›

You can enjoy Mapo Tofu as a part of the ichiju sansai meal or over steamed rice as a one-bowl meal.

Why is mapo tofu so good? ›

Sichuan red peppercorns are what gives mapo tofu its signature numbing sensation! As with most Chinese dishes, aromatics like ginger, garlic, and shallots give this mapo tofu so much aroma and flavor. Shaoxing wine deglazes the pan while adding a subtle, almost floral aroma.

What can I use instead of doubanjiang? ›

Doubanjiang substitutes

If you can't get hold of doubanjiang, Thai chilli sauce sambal oelek has a similar spicy flavour, and you could also try gochujang or toban djan mixed with red chilli flakes to increase the spiciness.

How long does MAPO tofu last? ›

Mapo Tofu can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The flavors will continue to develop and meld together, so you may find that the leftovers taste even better than when it was fresh! You can reheat this in the microwave or in a pan or pot over medium heat.

Why does mapo tofu make your mouth tingle? ›

Vegetarian Mapo Tofu. This meat-free version of a popular Sichuan dish boasts tender tofu draped in a savory, mouth-numbing sauce. The characteristic tongue-tingling comes from Sichuan peppercorns.

Why is mapo tofu red? ›

Any redness and bright color in a mapo tofu sauce comes from chili sauce, so if you want to make a redder mapo tofu, you're going to need to use a redder chili sauce. Our recipe uses Guilin Style Chili Sauce and isn't too glaringly red, so you may want to play around with chili sauces to get more color.

What kind of meat is in mapo tofu? ›

Ground beef is traditional, but many cooks choose pork; you can also try lamb, turkey thigh or a plant-based meat alternatives. Add chile flakes for extra fire, and balance mapo's intensity with rice and steamed or stir-fried broccoli.

Why is mapo tofu numbing? ›

The pleasant numbing spice of mapo tofu comes from Sichuan peppercorns, which have a pleasant numbing effect which makes it so you can eat more and more spice until you realize that you're entirely spiced out. It's called “málà” in Chinese and is prized in Sichuan cooking.

Why does mapo tofu make my tongue tingle? ›

Vegetarian Mapo Tofu. This meat-free version of a popular Sichuan dish boasts tender tofu draped in a savory, mouth-numbing sauce. The characteristic tongue-tingling comes from Sichuan peppercorns.

How to get tofu like the Chinese takeaway? ›

Pat each cube dry. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu and cook on all sides until golden brown, 2-4 minutes per side, then remove from the pan and set aside.

What makes mapo tofu red? ›

Any redness and bright color in a mapo tofu sauce comes from chili sauce, so if you want to make a redder mapo tofu, you're going to need to use a redder chili sauce. Our recipe uses Guilin Style Chili Sauce and isn't too glaringly red, so you may want to play around with chili sauces to get more color.

References

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