I’ve been working on eating healthier during the week to compensate for weekend indulgences. This typically means a lot of tofu for protein. One of my favourite tofu recipes is Mapo Tofu, a dish made easy with one important ingredient, Doubanjiang (spicy bean paste, 豆瓣酱). I prefer using firm tofu because it’s easier to cook with but I prefer the taste of soft tofu. I also find there is enough salt in the doubanjiang for the dish, but salt can be added if needed.
- 2 blocks of firm tofu, diced (2 cups)
- 1/4 lb of ground pork
- 3 tbsp of doubanjiang, spicy bean paste
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp of fermented black beans
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup of green onion, diced
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Dry roast the Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant and grind to a powder
- Dice the tofu, chop the green onion and mince the garlic
- In a wok, add the vegetable oil and wait until it just begins to smoke, add in the chopped garlic, ground pork and spicy bean paste, stir fry until the meat is half cooked
- Add in the soy sauce, fermented black bean and chili powder, stir fry until the meat is cooked through
- Add in the diced tofu, water, ground Sichuan peppercorn and gently stir into the meat sauce
- Simmer for 3-5 minutes
- Top with green onions and serve over rice
Step by Step Photos
Assemble ingredients
Roast and grind the Sichuan peppercorns
Dice the tofu, mince the garlic, chop the green onions and measure out other ingredients
Stir fry the ground pork with aromatics and spices, add in the tofu, water and gently stir into the sauce
Top with green onions and serve over rice
[…] go out for lunch once a week. Other recipes that would work great cooked in bulk for lunch is Mapo Tofu, great with ground turkey, or this recipe for Thai Basil Turkey Fried […]