Mabo Tofu
Quick · 25 min · Serves 2 · Japanese
Dietary: dairy-free, nut-free
The Japanese take on mapo tofu — silken tofu and ground pork in a savory doubanjiang and miso sauce, gentler than the Sichuan original.
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Sauce
- 1 tbsp doubanjiang, spicy chili bean paste
- 0.5 tbsp oyster sauce
- 0.5 tbsp miso paste
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 0.5 tsp sesame oil, toasted
- 0.5 tsp cornstarch, or potato starch
Pork & tofu
- 200 g silken tofu, drained
- 0.5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 8 g ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 tsp)
- 120 g ground pork
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced, a little kept for garnish
- 0.25 tsp sansho pepper (optional)
Steps
- Wrap the block of tofu loosely in paper towels, without pressing it, and let it drain on a plate for 15 minutes while you prep everything else. Once the cooking starts there's no stepping away.
Sauce
- Whisk the doubanjiang, oyster sauce, miso, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil and cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl until the miso dissolves.
Pork & tofu
- Cut the drained tofu into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes, handling it gently: silken tofu breaks easily.
- Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium heat, add the oil, then the garlic and ginger. Stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant; watch closely, as they go from fragrant to burnt in seconds.
- Add the pork and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, breaking it up with a spatula, until no longer pink.
- Give the sauce a final stir, since the starch sinks to the bottom, and pour it into the pan. Stir for about 1 minute, until it bubbles and thickens.
- Slide in the tofu and fold it through gently for about 1 minute, until heated through. Stir, don't toss, or the cubes break up and the dish turns mushy.
- Stir in most of the scallion and take the pan off the heat. Serve at once, topped with the rest of the scallion and a pinch of sansho pepper if you have it. Leftovers keep for up to 3 days in the fridge; don't freeze, as the tofu's texture suffers.