Ma Po Tofu Recipe – The REAL Deal

Okay, so I know we’ve already posted an approximation of a Ma Po Tofu-like recipe (this Spicy Garlic Tofu from way back when, which is also delectable), but the truth of the matter is that that dish was a mere spin on this classic dish. This version is the true blue, authentic real deal—the spicy, tongue-numbing, rice-is-absolutely-not-optional, can’t-have-just-one-scoop version that you get in the restaurants.

The bright spicy red sauce has a healthy amount of oil (and when I say healthy, I mean not healthy at all) that coats the soft cubes of silken tofu, tasty bits of ground pork, scallion, and spicy Szechuan (or Sichuan) peppercorns. See those peppercorn bits? The key is that as you’re eating the tofu, the peppercorns impart bursts of that mouth-numbing ma la (numb and spicy) goodness that is Szechuan food. You can adjust to your own preferences, though; if you want it more powdery, it dissolves into the sauce, and you don’t get as much of that kick-in-the-tongue sensation. Normally, I would go for a finer consistency with the peppercorns, but a rolling pin and a plastic sandwich bag just didn’t get me as far as the mortar and pestle we have at home.

Now I know as well as the next foodie how difficult it can be to approximate restaurant-favorites at home, so you may be thinking, “what a load a panda poop—this is just another so-called ‘authentic’ dish.” Not so my friends—we don’t play around at The Woks of Life. If we say authentic, you better betchyo pineapple buns that it’s gonna turn out authentic. Plus, the backstory of this recipe says it all.

It was the summer after my freshman year of college, and I was spending it in Beijing with my parents and sister. It was a hot and smoggy day, which meant “rainy day” activities that didn’t require venturing out into the noxious Beijing air. I was parked in my parents’ bedroom, flipping through the channels of countless historical dramas (you can literally go through ten straight channels, and each time the screen changes, you’ll see identical looking actresses in traditional dress, fighting back tears in disturbingly clear HD), Chinese nature documentaries (run little deer, ruuuun!), and mindless extended infomercials for the best freakin’ Chinese dried dates you’ll ever taste, or your money back guaranteed (…or not). Anyways, I was knocked out of my stupor when my limited Chinese vocabulary was able to detect that the latest generic cooking program I had settled on was featuring a professional chef explaining how to make Ma Po Tofu the right way.

For the next 2 minutes, my eyes were glued to the screen, brain straining to understand just what the heck he was saying. Right after it was over, I scrambled to find a pen and paper to write down what I had seen and heard. And here’s the finished product!

You’ll need:

• ½ cup oil, divided
• Small handful of fresh or dried red chili peppers (I used both!), thinly sliced for fresh and roughly chopped for dried
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red Sichuan peppercorns, crushed (half chunky, half powdery) (Update: some of our readers have noted that the Sichuan peppercorns can be very strong in this ma po tofu recipe; that’s how we like it, but if you want a milder flavor, cut back to 1 tablespoon or even less, depending on your personal preference! We used a mixture of green and red Sichuan peppercorns, but definitely stick with just red if you like a milder flavor. Green Sichuan peppercorns have a stronger numbing/floral effect on the dish.) 
• 3 tablespoons ginger, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons garlic, finely minced
• ½ cup or 8 oz. ground pork
• 1-2 tablespoons spicy bean sauce (less if you don’t like it too salty and a little more if you’re planning on demolishing this dish with a big bowl of rice)
• Water or chicken broth
• 1 package silken tofu, cut into 1.5” cubes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Corn Starch
• 1 large scallion, finely chopped

First, we make the chili oil. If you have bottled or homemade chili oil, you can skip this step. Heat your wok or a small saucepan on low. Add ¼ cup of the oil and throw in the peppers. Stir occasionally until the oil is bright red. Make sure that the peppers don’t brown! Once the oil is red (or reddish) remove from heat and set aside. You can do this in advance and let it sit on the counter. The longer it sits, the redder it’ll get.

While that’s sitting, take some time to prep the rest of your ingredients!

Heat the remaining ¼ cup of oil in your wok over medium heat. Add your Sichuan pepper corns and stir occasionally. Let them fry very gently. You want to release the flavors without browning the peppercorns.

Once the peppercorns have cooked for 2-3 minutes, add the ginger. Turn up the heat to medium high in order to lightly fry the ginger.

Then add the garlic. Stir 2-3 times, then turn up the heat and add the ground pork. You can also substitute beef, chicken, or turkey—whatever ya got, so long as it’s chopped into little pieces. I’ve made this with diced pork belly and, dang it was good.

Break up the meat and fry it until it’s cooked through.

Add the spicy bean sauce to the mixture and stir it in well. The red color spreads through the whole mixture, and now is about when you should be getting excited. Don’t be disturbed if you start drooling a little too.

Add 2/3 cups of water or chicken broth to the wok and stir. Let this simmer for a minute or so. While you’re letting that cook, sidle over to your cutting board and prep your tofu (you can do this beforehand if you’re a responsible person, but I find that the cooking process is often me just scrambling around the kitchen trying to frantically coordinate everything. I’m sure you’re a much more responsible think-ahead type).

By the way, I have a huge amount of tofu here, because there’s nothing better than coming back from class at 7:30pm and only needing two minutes to nuke leftovers before being able to stuff one’s face.

After you’re done prepping your tofu, put a ¼ cup of water in a small bowl with your corn starch and mix it with a fork—make sure all the clumps are broken up, and everything is dissolved.

Add the cornstarch mixture to your sauce and stir. Let it bubble away until your ma po tofu sauce starts to thicken.

Then add your chili oil from before—peppers and all! A sign of good Szechuan food is the quantity of excess dried peppers in the dish.

Stir the oil into the sauce, and then add the tofu. I actually think that Korean brands of silken tofu are a bit higher quality than the Chinese brands, if you can find them.

Use your spatula to gently toss the tofu in the sauce. We call for 1.5” cubes because during the mixing process, the tofu gets broken up and you want some cubes by the end of it! But don’t be too perturbed if a good amount of the tofu gets mushed up. It gives the sauce more body and will be a sheer delight when you’re dolloping it over your rice. Let it cook for 3-5 minutes.

Add the scallions and stir until they’re juuust wilted.

You can also set aside a small handful to sprinkle over the top of the finished dish. Serve hot with a nice mounded bowl of white rice!

And you’re Ma Po Tofu is done!

If you laughed at that, we should definitely be friends.

When you make this for friends and family, I guarantee that they’ll ooh and ahh over how much this Ma Po Tofu looks and tastes just like what your favorite Szechuan/Sichuan restaurant makes. We sure did! And you’ll be surprised at how simple it actually is. The key is to prep everything before you actually start cooking.

Let us know what you think about this Ma Po Tofu Recipe in the comments below! 

4.7 from 49 reviews

Ma Po Tofu Recipe – The REAL Deal

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

This ma po tofu is the true blue, authentic real deal—the spicy, tongue-numbing, rice-is-absolutely-not-optional ma po tofu that you get in the restaurants.

Author: Kaitlin

Recipe type: Tofu

Cuisine: Chinese

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup oil, divided
• Small handful of fresh or dried red chili peppers (I used both!), thinly sliced for fresh and roughly chopped for dried
• 1½ tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns, crushed (half chunky, half powdery) (Update: some of our readers have noted that the Sichuan peppercorns can be very strong in this dish; that's how we like it, but if you want a milder flavor, cut back to 1 tablespoon or even less, depending on your personal preference!)
• 3 tablespoons ginger, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons garlic, finely minced
• ½ cup or 8 oz. ground pork
• 1-2 tablespoons spicy bean sauce (less if you don’t like it too salty and a little more if you’re planning on demolishing this dish with a big bowl of rice)
• Water or chicken broth
• 1 package silken tofu, cut into 1.5” cubes
• 1½ teaspoons Corn Starch
• 1 large scallion, finely chopped

Instructions

1. First, we make the chili oil. If you have bottled chili oil, you can skip this step. Heat your wok or a small saucepan on low. Add ¼ cup of the oil and throw in the peppers. Stir occasionally until the oil is bright red. Make sure that the peppers don’t brown! Once the oil is red (or reddish) remove from heat and set aside. You can do this in advance and let it sit on the counter. The longer it sits, the redder it’ll get.
2. Heat the remaining ¼ cup of oil in your wok over medium heat. Add your Sichuan pepper corns and stir occasionally. Let them fry very gently. You want to release the flavors without browning the peppercorns. Once the peppercorns have cooked for 2-3 minutes, add the ginger. Turn up the heat to medium high in order to lightly fry the ginger. Then add the garlic. Stir 2-3 times, then turn up the heat and add the ground pork. Break up the meat and fry it until it’s cooked through.
3. Add the spicy bean sauce to the mixture and stir it in well. Add ⅔ cups of water or chicken broth to the wok and stir. Let this simmer for a minute or so. While that's happening, ready your tofu and also put a ¼ cup of water in a small bowl with your corn starch and mix it with a fork—make sure all the clumps are broken up.
4. Add the cornstarch mixture to your sauce and stir. Let it bubble away until the sauce starts to thicken. Then add your chili oil from before—peppers and all! Stir the oil into the sauce, and then add the tofu. Use your spatula to gently toss the tofu in the sauce. Let everything cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the scallions and stir until the scallions are juuust wilted. You can also set aside a small handful to sprinkle over the top of the finished dish. Serve hot with a nice mounded bowl of white rice!

3.5.3226