This is a simple home cooked dish which is popular in Sichuan. It’s relatively easy to make and healthy. I have made a vegetarian version, but you can easily add pork if you desire a more robust dish.
Continue reading “Authentic Sichuan Tofu Recipe for Home Cooks”MaPo Tofu has always been a favorite dish of mine and I wanted to find a way to make it without the ground pork. I made it for friends, who don’t eat meat last night and it was really good. It has all of the flavor I love, without the meat.
Of course if you want to make it with the ground pork, which is the authentic way it’s served in most of Szechuan, then you can certainly do that. I will put a note at the bottom to explain how that gets worked into the dish.
It has a few critical ingredients, which might take a bit to find, but once you have them you will have enough to make it many times. I have divided it into four steps to make it easier to follow. As with all Asian food, make sure to prepare all ingredients before you start cooking.
Pair this classic dish with Yu Shiang Eggplant for a perfect Chinese meal, Yu Shiang Eggplant-Fish Fragrant Eggplant
Here’s another classic dish, Kung Pao Chicken- Authentic Sichuan Recipe
Or this spicy Sichuan dish, Spicy Sichuan Fish Recipe with Sweet and Sour Flavors
My highest rated recipe, How to Make Lao Gan Ma Tofu Stir-Fry in 5 Minutes
And a takeaway favorite, Chinese Chicken with Fermented Black Beans: A Takeout Favorite
And a classic chicken dish, Easy Taiwanese 3 Cup Chicken Recipe
And a spicy Chengdu classic, Easy Sichuan Chicken: Master the Velveting Technique For Moist Chicken
Looking for a list of recipes I come back to again and again, My Favorite Recipes
Ingredients:
½ cup Vegetable Broth
1 Tbsp Chili and Garlic Paste
2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
2 tsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Cornstarch
3 Tbsp Oil
4 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 inch piece of fresh Ginger root,, peeled and minced
1 Red Pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces.
6 Green Onions, chopped, white part only. Set the green bits aside for dressing the dish at the end.
1 Tbsp Fermented Black Beans, mashed.
1 tsp Szechuan Peppercorns, ground. These are critical, so keep looking until you find them.
1 Tbsp Chili Bean Paste, also call doubanjiang
14 oz Medium Firm Tofu, cut into ¾ inch cubes
Preparation:
Combine the first seven ingredients into a small mixing bowl and mix thoroughly, and set aside.
Heat your wok until hot and then add 3 Tbsp of oil and stir fry the garlic, ginger, red pepper and green onions until just slightly softened. Add in the black beans, peppercorns and chili bean paste and sauté briefly.
Then add the tofu and gently toss for 1 -2 minutes. Then add the vegetable broth mixture and gently toss until the dish thickens. Sprinkle the reserved green onions on top as garnish and serve with white of brown rice.
Note: if you want to use ground pork then just add it in before you start cooking your garlic, ginger, red pepper, etc. once it’s browned if it seems greasy then pour a bit of the oil off. And then continue with the recipe.
