Crispy Mapo Tofu

Recipes

Sep 29

What can one say about tofu? As a staple of Chinese cuisine, I grew up with it and ate it in every form— of which there are many. Firm, silken, tofu skin, fermented tofu, fried tofu, tofu pockets…the list goes on. I mean maybe tofu is the little black dress of Chinese cuisine? Mapo tofu is a classic dish originating in the Sichuan province that brings tofu together with a spicy saucy ground meat mixture (usually beef) that’s poured on top. This is true hearty Chinese comfort food that will feed a crowd— and true to comfort food, every family has their own variation. I’ve made mine a touch less saucy and have given the tofu a crisp texture by pan frying it on its own. Feel free to dial up (or down) the spice level as you wish, and definitely feel free to play around. Add mushrooms, add soybeans…whatever! The world’s your tofu!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

12 oz block of firm tofu, cut into 1” slices
Vegetable oil for frying
½ cup cornstarch
1 tsp five spice powder
½ tsp black pepper

1 lb ground pork
¼ cup Hoisin sauce
¼ cup fermented black bean sauce
¼ cup oyster sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
½ cup water
2 garlic gloves, minced
1 red chili, thinly sliced
1 tsp sriracha
2 green onion, both white and green parts, roughly chopped

METHOD

Add oil to a large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Combine cornstarch, pepper and five spice powder in a medium bowl or shallow dish. Pat tofu slices dry and coat lightly with cornstarch mixture. When oil is shimmering, fry tofu on both sides until light golden brown—approximately 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set on paper towel to drain excess oil.

In the same pan, add garlic, ½ green onion parts and sauté for 1 minute, then add oyster sauce, black bean sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, hoisin, chili and ground pork and sauté until pork is cooked through, making sure to break up meat into smaller, finer bits with a spoon. Turn heat to high and add water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until meat sauce is thickened— approximately 2-3 minutes.

To serve, arrange tofu on a platter and top with meat sauce. Garnish with remaining green onion. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

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