Mapo Tofu

Ingredients

• 450 g ground pork
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp white pepper powder
• 2 tbsp spicy doubanjiang
• 1 tsp dou-chi
• 2-3 scallions, chopped
• 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 inch ginger, minced
• 400 ml chicken broth or water
• 340 g soft tofu, cut into cubes
• 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns, crushed
• cooking oil

Method

Mapo tofu lives on the marriage of fermented-condiments and heat — the doubanjiang and dou-chi are your only seasonings of consequence here, so their flavour must open fully before the liquid goes in. This is wok-cooking at its most direct: you're building a base of rendered pork fat and fermented bean paste that will coat the tofu cubes and carry the numbing bite of Sichuan peppercorns.

Marinate the pork in the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, and white pepper for 15 minutes minimum. The cornstarch and soy form a thin slurry that will help the meat stay tender during the high heat; the wine cuts the gaminess. Heat your wok until smoke just begins to rise, add oil, then scatter the pork across the surface. Don't stir immediately — let it contact the hot metal for a minute, then break it into small pieces as it colours. You want browning for flavour depth, not grey mush. Once the meat has rendered its fat and turned light brown, push it to the side of the wok.

Add the doubanjiang directly to the clearing and let it sit for 45 seconds to a minute, stirring occasionally. This dry-frying, or braising|sauce-building, technique draws out the fermented umami and mellows the raw saltiness. Add the garlic, ginger, scallion whites, and dou-chi, and cook for another 30 seconds — you want the smell to become pungent and sweet, not burnt. Pour in the stock and bring it to a rolling boil. The liquid should taste assertive; if it tastes flat, add a pinch more soy sauce now, not at the table.

Lower the heat to a bare simmer and slide in the tofu cubes gently — they'll break if you're rough. Braise for 12–15 minutes uncovered. The surface of each cube will dimple and darken as it absorbs the sauce and the edges soften slightly; this is the target texture. The sauce should have thickened to a light coat that clings to the tofu without pooling.

Scatter the crushed Sichuan peppercorns and scallion greens over the top, stir once, and serve immediately over steamed rice. The peppercorns will numb your mouth within seconds of eating — this sensation is the point, not a warning sign.