Mapo Tofu: The Sichuan Classic That Numbs Your Lips and Wins You Friends

Ingredients

• 14 oz silken or soft tofu, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 tsp kosher salt, for the blanching water
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 2 tbsp doubanjiang (chili bean paste, Pixian style)
• 1 tbsp fermented black beans (douchi), rinsed and lightly chopped (optional but recommended)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• Chili oil, for drizzling (optional)
• Steamed white rice

Steps

1. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Do not walk away. Burnt peppercorns taste like regret. Grind them in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Set aside. 2. Bring a small pot of water to a simmer with the kosher salt. Gently lower in the tofu cubes and blanch for 2 minutes. This firms them up so they hold together in the sauce. Scoop them out gently with a slotted spoon and set aside. 3. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork and cook, breaking it up, until browned and crisp in spots, about 4 to 5 minutes. Let it get some color. That caramelization is flavor you cannot get back later. 4. Push the pork to the sides and add the doubanjiang and fermented black beans to the center. Stir-fry them in the oil for about a minute until the oil turns red and everything smells deeply spicy and savory. This is the blooming step. Raw doubanjiang is sharp. Bloomed doubanjiang is magic. 5. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Pour in the Shaoxing wine and let it bubble for another 30 seconds, scraping up anything stuck to the pan. 6. Add the chicken stock, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for 3 minutes so the flavors come together. Taste the sauce. It should be salty, spicy, and savory with a little sweetness in the background. 7. Gently add the tofu cubes. Push, do not stir, using the back of a spoon to move things around. The tofu is fragile. You want cubes, not mush. Simmer for 3 minutes so the tofu soaks up the sauce. 8. Stir the cornstarch slurry once more and drizzle it in, pushing gently to combine. Let it simmer 1 minute more until the sauce turns glossy and coats the tofu. It should be thick enough to cling, not watery. 9. Sprinkle over most of the ground Sichuan peppercorns and the scallions. Push to combine gently. Taste one cube. The tingle should hit after a second. If it does not, add more of the peppercorns. Drizzle with chili oil if you want to go full send. 10. Serve over steamed white rice immediately. This is a dish that waits for nobody. The rice, the tofu, the sauce, it all goes together in every bite.

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