Japanese-style Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu) is filled with taste however a lot much less spicy than the unique Sichuan dish. Even youngsters can take pleasure in this family-friendly recipe of floor pork and silken tofu that’s prepared in simply half-hour! {Vegetarian/Vegan Adaptable}
Comforting and stuffed with umami, Japanese-style Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) is well considered one of my household’s favourite meals! It’s so easy to make, and I like cooking this dish on a busy weeknight when I’ve simply half-hour to spare. I’ll educate you the right way to make this scrumptious recipe and serve it both rice-bowl model over fluffy steamed rice or as the principle dish in a dinner set.
When you love the Japanese adaptation of Chinese language delicacies known as Chuka ryori, strive my Gyoza, Tan Tan Males, and Japanese Fried Rice recipes subsequent!
What’s Mapo Tofu?
Known as mabo dofu (麻婆豆腐,マーボー豆腐) in Japanese, mapo tofu was popularized within the Seventies by Chinese language-Japanese Chef Chen Kenmin (陳建民) by his Chinese language restaurant Shisen Hanten. There, he tailored this dish to go well with milder Japanese tastes by notably omitting fiery-red chili and Sichuan peppercorn from the sauce. Due to Chef Chen, you’ll discover many Chinese language-style dishes like mapo tofu, Ebi Chili (Chili prawns エビチリ), and Beef and Bell Pepper Stir-fry (chin-jao ro-su, 青椒肉絲) in Japan’s home-cooking repertoire.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Excellent for a weeknight dinner – This recipe is prepared in simply half-hour. It’s a lifesaver after I wish to get a nutritious and comforting meal on the desk however don’t have quite a lot of time.
- Hearty and wholesome! I like that it’s scrumptious, wholesome, and full of protein. It’s a dish that I really feel good feeding my household.
- Household-friendly – The gentle warmth/spice stage implies that even youngsters can take pleasure in consuming this dish. I cooked it for my youngsters from the time they had been very younger they usually find it irresistible to this present day!
- Simply customizable – Make it much less or extra spicy, change the bottom meat, or make it vegetarian/vegan. I’ll counsel under the right way to adapt this dish to fit your wants.
Substances for Mapo Tofu
Japanese-style mapo tofu is a very simple dish. This was one of many first recipes my son realized to prepare dinner over the summer season break as a teen, and now he makes it for himself in faculty!
- Comfortable/silken tofu (kinugoshi dofu)
- Floor pork
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Inexperienced onions/scallions
- Impartial oil
- Sauce:
- Doubanjiang (spicy or non-spicy broad bean paste) – This fermented seasoning provides an genuine and deeply savory character. With out it, the dish received’t style the identical.
- Oyster sauce
- Miso – distinctive to Japanese-style mapo tofu
- Soy sauce
- Mirin – distinctive to Japanese-style mapo tofu
- Toasted sesame oil
- Potato starch or cornstarch
- Water
- Japanese sansho pepper (non-compulsory, for serving)
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
Substitutions
- Silken Tofu: I extremely advocate utilizing smooth/silken tofu because it provides a easy and creamy texture to the dish. Nevertheless, you would use medium tofu if that’s what you will have. Please drain the tofu for 15–half-hour earlier than you begin cooking.
- Doubanjiang: I personally use the Taiwanese manufacturers Lian How (岡山) or Ming De (明徳), which have a milder warmth stage. When you can’t discover these manufacturers, some individuals advocate utilizing gochujang (spicy Korean chili paste) or doenjang (non-spicy Korean soybean paste). I haven’t tried them earlier than, however these will alter the flavour profile. For spicy Sichuan doubanjiang, verify Amazon or different on-line Asian markets. You might additionally use gluten-free doubanjiang for GF.
Make Mapo Tofu
Preparation
Step 1 – Prep the components earlier than you begin cooking. This dish cooks shortly! I strongly advocate that you simply measure and blend the sauce components and minimize the aromatics and tofu forward of time so all the pieces is able to go.
Cooking
Step 2 – Stir-fry the garlic and ginger. Add the garlic and ginger to the recent oil within the preheated wok and sauté till aromatic.
Step 3 – Sauté the bottom pork. Add the bottom meat to the wok and break up the chunks with a picket spatula. Prepare dinner the meat till it’s not pink.
Step 4 – Add the sauce combination and simmer. Prepare dinner and stir till the sauce bubbles and thickens.
Step 5 – Add the tofu and inexperienced onions. Coat the tofu with the sauce till the flavors infuse. Then, add the inexperienced onions.
Step 6 – Serve. You may serve the mapo tofu on particular person dishes as a part of a composed meal, or take pleasure in it donburi-style like I do spooned over a big bowl of steamed rice.
Nami’s Recipe Suggestions
- Drain the tofu forward of time for about quarter-hour – This prevents the tofu from releasing moisture into the sauce and diluting it. When you’re like me, you’ll love a savory sauce that’s thick and wealthy mixed with a base of fluffy and steaming sizzling rice!
- Reduce and put together the components earlier than cooking – This dish cooks quick, and the pan wants fixed consideration so the components don’t burn. I extremely advocate prepping all of the components prematurely, as there’s no time to step away from the range as soon as cooking begins. I line up my prepped components subsequent to the range so I can add them to the pan in fast succession.
- Measure and blend the sauce components forward of time in a small bowl. I preserve the sauce combination close by and able to add to the pan at simply the proper second.
- Take care to not burn the garlic and ginger when stir-frying. You don’t wish to add a burnt bitter style to the sauce.
- Rigorously stir the tofu – Tofu can simply break and grow to be mushy. Shake the pan to coat the tofu with the sauce, minimizing spatula motion.
Variations and Customizations
This mapo tofu recipe is simple to adapt to your preferences and wishes. Listed here are just a few of my ideas for the right way to fluctuate this scrumptious dish.
- Change up the bottom meat. In Japan, we all the time use floor pork. Nevertheless, you should use floor turkey, floor hen, or floor beef.
- Make it vegetarian/vegan. As a substitute of meat, use finely diced contemporary or dried (rehydrated) shiitake mushrooms. Use vegetarian stir-fry sauce rather than oyster sauce.
- Modify the warmth stage. Add roughly doubanjiang, use the Taiwanese non-spicy model, or flip up the warmth with just a few teaspoons or extra of fiery-red Sichuan doubanjiang! For much less warmth, I like to recommend utilizing 1½ Tbsp non-spicy doubanjiang and 1 Tbsp spicy la doubanjiang. When you prefer it barely spicier, sprinkle la-yu (Japanese chili oil).
- “School-meal” model. My son made this 10 Minute Meal – Mapo Tofu recipe in an electrical pot at his dorm kitchen, and his buddies cherished it! It’s tremendous fast and straightforward to make.
What to Serve with Mapo Tofu
- As a rice bowl – When you serve it donburi-style (mapo tofu over rice), I counsel including Selfmade Miso Soup and a easy veggie aspect like Japanese Cucumber Salad to make it an entire meal.
- As the principle dish of a conventional ichiju sansai meal – For a Japanese-style “One Soup Three Dishes” meal, serve the rice and mapo tofu in separate dishes, then add a miso soup, two aspect dishes, and a small dish of Japanese pickles.
Storage and Reheating Suggestions
To retailer: As soon as the mapo tofu is cooled to room temperature, retailer the leftovers in a glass hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. I don’t advocate freezing this dish as tofu modifications its texture as soon as frozen.
To reheat: Gently heat up in a saucepan over medium-low warmth till completely heated.
Incessantly Requested Questions
Wrap a paper towel across the silken tofu and set it on a plate or tray to empty the moisture for about quarter-hour. Be light when dealing with it since silken tofu could be very fragile. Don’t press the tofu as a result of it should crumble simply.
Extra Chuka Ryori Recipes
When you love this Mapo Tofu, you’re in for a deal with with these different irresistible Japanese-style Chinese language recipes.
Stop your display from going darkish
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Collect all of the components. Right here, I take advantage of a mix of non-spicy doubanjiang (darkish brown shade) and spicy la doubanjiang (deep crimson shade).
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Mix the sauce components. To a small bowl, add 2½ Tbsp doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste), 1 Tbsp oyster sauce, 1 Tbsp miso, ½ Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp mirin, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch, and 4 Tbsp water. Combine effectively along with a whisk.
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Finely mince 2 cloves garlic (I take advantage of a garlic press). Thinly peel off the ginger pores and skin with a pointy knife or scrape it off with a spoon.
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Reduce the ginger into skinny slices, then into skinny julienne strips. Mince the strips and measure 1 Tbsp ginger.
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Slice 2 inexperienced onions/scallions crosswise into skinny rounds. Put aside some for garnish when serving.
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Drain 14 oz smooth/silken tofu (kinugoshi dofu) and minimize into ¾-inch (2-cm) cubes.
To Prepare dinner the Mapo Tofu
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Warmth a wok or giant frying pan on medium warmth. Add 1 Tbsp impartial oil to the recent pan. Then, add the garlic and ginger to the recent oil.
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Sauté the aromatics till aromatic, ensuring they don‘t burn. Then, add ½ lb floor pork to the wok.
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Prepare dinner the pork, breaking apart the chunks with a spatula or picket spoon, till the meat is not pink.
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Give the sauce combination a ultimate stir, then add it to the wok. Stir completely as you deliver the sauce to a simmer.
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Add the tofu and gently coat it with the sauce. Stir incessantly, with out mashing the tofu, till it’s heated by.
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Add many of the inexperienced onions, reserving some for garnish. Stir to include simply earlier than taking the pan off the warmth.
Energy: 263 kcal · Carbohydrates: 9 g · Protein: 17 g · Fats: 17 g · Saturated Fats: 5 g · Polyunsaturated Fats: 3 g · Monounsaturated Fats: 6 g · Ldl cholesterol: 41 mg · Sodium: 845 mg · Potassium: 395 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 4 g · Vitamin A: 180 IU · Vitamin C: 2 mg · Calcium: 55 mg · Iron: 3 mg
Editor’s Observe: The submit was initially revealed on January 29, 2011. The video was added to the submit on Could 6, 2016. The submit was up to date with new photographs on February 4, 2024, and republished with extra useful data on December 3, 2024.
