The key ingredients of mapo tofu are actually a spicy fermented bean paste called Doubanjiang (豆瓣酱) and a fermented black bean paste called Dou-chi (豆豉) which give the dish a very tasty flavor. Unfortunately, i usually don't have that so this is my bootleg version that tastes good enough to me and is fairly easy to make.
*Disclaimer* if you want an actual mapo tofu recipe I would recommend looking one up... this recipe really doesn't do justice for the Chinese Szechuan cuisine it originates from.
Notes/ Tips: If you cook your hamburger first, you can drain the extra oil (or spoon it out) and then use some of that oil when you are cooking your garlic and spices.
Medium firm tofu is best, but if you have silken or firm tofu that is okay too.
This recipe will be very oily so if you want to adjust that add 1 tablespoon of water and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce instead of sesame oil.
Ready in: 30
Makes: 2 servings
Difficulty: Easy
INGREDIENTS
1/2 block silken tofu
1/2 lb hamburger
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 tablespoons green onion
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup of water
pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon white pepper (or 1/2 tsp black pepper)
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon of paprika
2 teaspoons of cayenne (or more)
*optional: 1 teaspoon mirin
**optional : 1/2 tsp miso or 1 tsp gochujang
If you're wondering what the "mystery" part of this recipe is..... it's the final ingredients. Because I am replacing the main flavoring with miso or gochujang this will not taste like mapo tofu. And honestly you can put whatever spices you want in here and adjust to your own taste.
PREP
Need a wok or large pan to cook everything in
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add ground beef to pan and cook on medium heat until brown (stir often with spatula or other tool)
2. When meat is brown, drain extra oil (or move meat and garlic to new pan) and then change to medium low heat
3. Add the garlic to a frying pan on medium heat; sauté for 2 minutes
4. Add tomato paste and ½ cup of water to the pan. Stir it together
5. Add in salt, soy sauce, sugar and pepper, paprika, cayenne, **optional ingredients , and stir together
6. Cut up tofu, add tofu to pan and mix.
7. Simmer for 5 minutes on low heat
8. It's done! Serve with rice
if you dry the tofu beforehand with paper towels they'll soak up the sauce better too!