Recipe-1 › Curries of the world › Mapo tofu
Sichuan’s most famous dish: soft tofu in a spicy, numbing sauce of fermented broad bean chilli paste (doubanjiang) and Sichuan pepper, usually with a little minced beef or pork. Fiery, savoury and ready in 15 minutes.
Same steps, different flavour base HotToo hot for you? Use half the chilli (powder, paste or fresh chillies) and leave out the green chillies.
Recipe-1 is one simple curry recipe in nine steps: fry onions and green chillies, add your vegetables or meat, add chilli powder and turmeric, then water and salt, and boil. With small changes the same nine steps make curries from all over the world.
This page takes those nine steps and shows what to change to make Mapo tofu. You don’t need to read anything else first: every base step is written out below. The changes are worked out on paper from what is typical for this dish; not yet kitchen-tested. Cooked it? Tell others how it went.
Green: the base recipe step (crossed out = do not use it for this dish)Red: what to do instead for Mapo tofu
See the full base recipe (with timers and tips) · See all curries on the world map
The amounts change with the number of people; cooking times stay about the same (use a bigger pot for more). Taste as you go: you can always add more chilli or salt, but you cannot take it out.
Main ingredient: 500 g Soft or medium tofu, in 2 cm cubes; a little minced beef or pork (optional).
Where a step has a red line, do the red line and not the crossed-out green base step. Steps with only green are done just as in the base recipe.
Base step: do not useCut onions and chillies.
Mapo tofu: do thisInstead of onions, chop spring onions; skip the green chillies.
Base step: do not useFry in some oil for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
Mapo tofu: do thisFry the minced meat in oil until crisp (if using), then add the garlic and ginger (step A).
Base step: do not useCut the vegetable(s) of your choice.
Mapo tofu: do thisUse the tofu: simmer the cubes for 2 minutes in salted water so they firm up, and drain.
Base step: do not useAdd them and fry for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
Mapo tofu: do thisAdd the doubanjiang and fermented black beans and fry until the oil turns red.
Base step: do not useAdd red chilli powder and turmeric.
Mapo tofu: do thisInstead of chilli powder and turmeric, add a little chilli flakes or chilli oil if you like it hotter.
Keep frying until just before they start browning.
Base step: do not useAdd some water.
Mapo tofu: do thisAdd water or stock, then slide in the tofu.
Base step: do not useAdd salt.
Mapo tofu: do thisSeason with soy sauce instead of salt.
Base step: do not useBoil until the gravy is as thick as you like.
Mapo tofu: do thisSimmer 3–4 minutes, stir in the cornflour paste to thicken, and finish with ground Sichuan pepper and spring onions.
Serve: With plenty of steamed rice.
For meat and seafood, make sure it is cooked through: chicken until no pink remains inside; mutton, goat and beef need long, slow cooking.
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