Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu is an EASY Sichuan dish made with pork, tofu, mushrooms, Sichuan peppercorns, and chili peppers in a spicy ginger sauce, ready in under 20 minutes!

Stir Fry Chinese dishes are quick, easy and healthy and some of our favorites include Easy Shrimp Stir-Fry, Chinese Pepper Steak, and Hunan Chicken!

MAPO TOFU

Mapo Tofu is a really quick and easy weeknight takeout dish, made right in your own kitchen. This dish is pork, tofu, and mushrooms in a spicy sauce made from black bean paste, chili garlic paste, Sichuan peppercorns, and spices. Plus, it’s ready in under 20 minutes! I like to serve this tofu with steamed rice and extra chopped green onions.

What do you serve with Mapo Tofu?

You can serve this with Chinese Steamed Rice or Fried Rice and definitely have appetizers on hand to complement the dish including Egg Rolls, Crab Rangoon, Spring Rolls, and Potstickers dipped in Sweet and Sour Sauce.

HOW TO MAKE MAPO TOFU VEGETARIAN

Mapo tofu can easily be converted to vegetarian. Leave out of the pork entirely, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. You can add some more tofu or mushrooms to replace some of the pork if you feel that it needs it.

HOW LONG DOES MAPO TOFU LAST?

Mapo tofu will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator, in an airtight container. If your tofu dries out at all, you can stir-fry it for a minute or two with extra sauce, to add back some moisture, until it’s heated through.

CAN YOU FREEZE MAPO TOFU?

This mapo tofu recipe can be made ahead and frozen in an airtight container. If you do freeze it, I recommend making some extra sauce and freezing it in a separate container on the side. Take it out the night before you want to eat and leave it in the refrigerator, then the next day stir fry until warmed through, adding the extra sauce as needed.

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MORE CHINESE TAKEOUT RECIPES

• Easy Mongolian Beef
• Classic Chinese Chow Mein
• Hot and Sour Soup
• General Tso’s Chicken
• Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat)
• Sweet and Sour Pork
• Chicken Lo Mein

TIPS FOR MAKING MAPO TOFU

• You can make mapo tofu with ground pork instead of pork loin. If you don’t like ground pork, you can also make this dish with chicken, beef, or shrimp.
• If you want to make this mapo tofu recipe less spicy, leave out the chili peppers and chili garlic paste. You can also leave out the peppercorns, but they’re not as spicy as the other ingredients. The black bean paste or fermented black beans should be ok, but double check the seasonings added.
• If you want this dish to be even spicier, add a few dashes of spicy chili oil.
• If your tofu is too wet after you drain it, you can press it gently between two paper towels to soak up some of the extra moisture. Be careful not to press down too hard, or the tofu will flatten.
• You can also use low sodium soy sauce or tamari without any flavor difference in this recipe.
• There are a few different types of tofu out there. For this recipe, I would use firm tofu or medium tofu, which will hold up to the stir-frying better. I do not recommend soft tofu or silken tofu, because it will break apart.
• If you want to add some extra flavor and texture to the tofu, boil some water with salt and blanch the cubes quickly, then drain.

5 from 5 votes

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Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu is an EASY Sichuan dish made with pork, tofu, mushrooms, Sichuan peppercorns, and chili peppers in a spicy ginger sauce, ready in under 20 minutes!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword mapo tofu

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 220 kcal

Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 ounces pork loin chopped into small pieces (or ground pork)
• 6 ounces white mushrooms quartered
• 4 ounces sliced bamboo shoots drained
• 1/2 yellow onion diced
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger minced
• 2 green onions sliced white part only
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoons cornstarch halve if using cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
• 3 tablespoons black been paste or chopped fermented black beans
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste Sambal Oelek
• 4 red chili peppers
• 14 ounces medium tofu drained and cut in 3/4” chunks

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Add the vegetable oil to a wok or large skillet with the pork, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and onions and cook on medium high heat until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.

2. Add in the sesame oil, garlic, ginger and green onions and cook for an additional 30 seconds while you whisk together the broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, sugar and peppercorns in a small bowl and add it to the skillet.

3. Add the black bean paste, chili garlic paste, red chili peppers and whisk together then add in the tofu and stir to combine until the sauce starts to thicken another 2 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition Facts

Mapo Tofu

Amount Per Serving

Calories 220 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Cholesterol 24mg8%

Sodium 638mg28%

Potassium 319mg9%

Carbohydrates 7g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 17g34%

Vitamin A 130IU3%

Vitamin C 5.5mg7%

Calcium 94mg9%

Iron 1.6mg9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.