Mild(er) Mapo Tofu
Mapo tofu is a really delicious and easy midweek meal, but the traditional version usually packs a punch! If you’re chilli sensitive, this toned down mapo tofu recipe could be just the ticket.
Ingredients
- 150g Free Range Pork Mince (you can bump this up to 250g if you like it extra meaty!)
- ½ tsp minced ginger
- 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 - 2 tbsp peanut oil
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1.5 tbsp Doubanjiang (you can order/buy this from Asian grocery stores)
- 1 block tofu (we like to use silken tofu)
- 1 cup of Free Range Chicken Bone Broth or stock
- 1 tsp chilli oil
- ¼ tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
- Large pinch of sugar
Method
- Mix pork mince, ginger, Shaoxing wine and soy sauce together and set aside.
- In a skillet, heat peanut oil over medium to high heat, then add Sichuan peppercorns and toast. Remove peppercorns from heat and set aside for later.
- Add pork mixture to the hot pan and fry for a minute or so before adding the spring onions and Doubanjiang, stirring through. Turn heat down to medium.
- Stir through chilli oil, Chinese Five Spice, sugar and broth/stock. Taste and make any adjustments as you like.
- On top of this, place your whole block of tofu - leave it in one piece for now. Pop a lid on and let everything steam for about 10 mins. At the same time, crush up the toasted Sichuan peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and set aside in a small bowl.
- Remove lid and gently break up tofu into smaller cubes.
- Sprinkle with diced spring onion and the ground peppercorns (optional) and serve over white rice.
Note: If you’d like your sauce a bit thicker, you can also add a bit of cornstarch to give it a thicker consistency.
