Fiery mapo tofu

26_Fiery Mapo Tofu_001
AuthorHungry PandaCategoryDifficultyAdvanced
Yields3 Servings
Prep Time35 minsCook Time50 minsTotal Time1 hr 25 mins
INGREDIENTS
 6-10 dry red chillies (soaked in hot water)
 1 small onion
 1 cloves garlic
 2 fresh bird’s-eye chillies
 small handful of coriander
 300 g firm silken tofu (fresh or packaged tofu are both good)
 2 tsp preserved black beans
 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
 200 g pork mince or beef mince
 2 tbsp oil
 2 rice measuring cups long grain white rice (or brown)
FOR THE MARINADE
 1 tsp sesame oil
 pinch granulated sugar
 1 tbsp light soy sauce
FOR THE SAUCE
 2 tsp chilli bean paste or hot chilli paste
 2 tbsp light soy sauce
 3 tbsp rice wine
 1 tbsp Gochujang Korean pepper paste
 400 ml chicken stock
FOR THE CORNFLOUR PASTE
 2 tsp cornflour
 3 tbsp water
HOW TO MAKE
1

Dice the onion. Finely chop the garlic, bird’s-eye chillies and coriander. Cut the silken tofu into 2cm
cubes.

tofu1

2

Wash and drain the preserved black beans, place them in a sealable plastic bag with the Sichuan
peppercorns and bash with a rolling pin until lightly crushed.

tofu8

3

Place the meat in a bowl, add the marinade ingredients and massage together well with your hands. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a separate bowl.

tofu7

4

Add 2 cups of rice to your rice cooker bowl at this point and fill to the white rice level 2 line. Use the ’WHITE RICE’, ’LONG GRAIN’ or ’REGULAR’ function on your rice cooker and press ’START’

tofu5

5

Heat the oil in a wok over a medium-high heat until smoking-hot then add the onion. Stir-fry for 1 minute until the onions are lightly browned and starting to soften.

tofu4

6

Add the garlic, black bean and peppercorn mix and chilli to the pan, followed immediately by the
marinated pork. Stir-fry for a further 2 minutes, until the pork/beef mince is separated and browned, then pour over the sauce and bring to a vigorous boil.

tofu3

7

Add cornflour paste gradually until you get the desired thickness of the sauce then add the diced
tofu to the wok, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring gently so as not to
break up the tofu pieces. Continue to bubble away until the sauce has thickened and reduced by a third, but the dish is still nice and brothy.

tofu3

8

Serve with rice in a large bowl and scatter over the finely chopped coriander togarnish.

tofu11

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS
 6-10 dry red chillies (soaked in hot water)
 1 small onion
 1 cloves garlic
 2 fresh bird’s-eye chillies
 small handful of coriander
 300 g firm silken tofu (fresh or packaged tofu are both good)
 2 tsp preserved black beans
 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
 200 g pork mince or beef mince
 2 tbsp oil
 2 rice measuring cups long grain white rice (or brown)
FOR THE MARINADE
 1 tsp sesame oil
 pinch granulated sugar
 1 tbsp light soy sauce
FOR THE SAUCE
 2 tsp chilli bean paste or hot chilli paste
 2 tbsp light soy sauce
 3 tbsp rice wine
 1 tbsp Gochujang Korean pepper paste
 400 ml chicken stock
FOR THE CORNFLOUR PASTE
 2 tsp cornflour
 3 tbsp water

Directions

HOW TO MAKE
1

Dice the onion. Finely chop the garlic, bird’s-eye chillies and coriander. Cut the silken tofu into 2cm
cubes.

tofu1

2

Wash and drain the preserved black beans, place them in a sealable plastic bag with the Sichuan
peppercorns and bash with a rolling pin until lightly crushed.

tofu8

3

Place the meat in a bowl, add the marinade ingredients and massage together well with your hands. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a separate bowl.

tofu7

4

Add 2 cups of rice to your rice cooker bowl at this point and fill to the white rice level 2 line. Use the ’WHITE RICE’, ’LONG GRAIN’ or ’REGULAR’ function on your rice cooker and press ’START’

tofu5

5

Heat the oil in a wok over a medium-high heat until smoking-hot then add the onion. Stir-fry for 1 minute until the onions are lightly browned and starting to soften.

tofu4

6

Add the garlic, black bean and peppercorn mix and chilli to the pan, followed immediately by the
marinated pork. Stir-fry for a further 2 minutes, until the pork/beef mince is separated and browned, then pour over the sauce and bring to a vigorous boil.

tofu3

7

Add cornflour paste gradually until you get the desired thickness of the sauce then add the diced
tofu to the wok, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring gently so as not to
break up the tofu pieces. Continue to bubble away until the sauce has thickened and reduced by a third, but the dish is still nice and brothy.

tofu3

8

Serve with rice in a large bowl and scatter over the finely chopped coriander togarnish.

tofu11

Notes

Fiery mapo tofu