Description
A heavenly blend of silky tofu and spicy ground beef simmered in a tongue-tingling sauce, bringing authentic Sichuan flavor to your table.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, toasted
- 200g ground beef
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2-inch piece ginger, finely chopped
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp spicy broad bean paste (doubanjiang)
- 1 Tbsp Chinese black beans, rinsed and roughly chopped
- 1 cup chicken stock or pork stock, UNSALTED, or water
- 2 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine (optional)
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 350g smooth soft tofu, 1-inch cubes
- 1 Green onion, chopped
- Chili oil (optional)
- Jasmine rice for serving
Instructions
- Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry sauté pan over medium heat until aromatic, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and grind them until fine.
- Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and soy sauce, stirring occasionally until browned, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the beef using a slotted spoon and set it aside, leaving the rendered fat in the wok.
- Add the garlic and ginger to the wok, sautéing until the garlic turns golden, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the ground black pepper, half the ground Sichuan peppercorns, spicy broad bean paste, and chopped black beans. Sauté for 30 seconds and deglaze with the stock.
- Return the beef to the wok, adding sugar and Chinese cooking wine. Let everything simmer for about 5 minutes to marry the flavors.
- In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in a couple of tablespoons of cold water. Pour the slurry into the sauce, stirring until thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tofu cubes to the wok, spooning the sauce over them. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes on low heat.
- Transfer the Mapo Tofu to a serving bowl. Drizzle with chili oil and garnish with chopped green onions and reserved ground Sichuan peppercorns.
- Serve it up with jasmine rice and enjoy your meal!
Notes
Avoid stirring the tofu too vigorously during cooking to prevent it from breaking apart. If too spicy, balance the heat with yogurt or cucumbers.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stir-frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 1.5g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 55mg