Sichuan Mapo Tofu

2024-09-06 10:45:25 Sichuan cuisine

Tofu	Beef
Pixian Douban	Garlic sprouts
Dried chili	Zanthoxylum bungeanum
Light soy sauce	Pea flour
Chili powder

How to make Sichuan Mapo Tofu Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 1

Step 1

Cut tofu into small pieces and soak in cold water Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 2

Step 2

Chop the beef into small pieces, split the garlic sprouts into small pieces and set aside Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 3

Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 3

Step 3

Mince green onion and ginger, mince Pixian watercress Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 4

Step 4

Add some dried chilies and peppercorns Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 5

Step 5

A little more paprika Traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu Recipe Illustration 6

Step 6

Mix pea flour with water Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 7

Step 7

Separately prepare some peppercorns and fry them in a pot. Do not add oil. Just dry-fry them. Lower the heat and do not burn them. Take them out after the numbness comes out. Use a rolling pin to crush them into fine pieces and set aside. Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 8

Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 8

Step 8

Put the tofu in a pot of cold water, add two spoons of salt, bring to a boil over high heat, do not cover the pot, and let the tofu smell naturally evaporate. After the water boils, turn to low heat and simmer. Do not turn off the heat and keep the water boiling. Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 9

Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 9

Step 9

Put oil in the pot, I added a little lard to increase the richness of the taste Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 10

Step 10

After the oil is hot, add the beef cubes and stir-fry until the beef cubes are crispy. This is the crispiness in Qizizhenjue. Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 11

Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 11

Step 11

After the beef is fried until crispy, add the seasonings prepared earlier, stir-fry until the red oil is released, and the aroma will be fragrant. Traditional Sichuan dish Mapo beansIllustration of how to make fu 12

Traditional Sichuan dish Mapo beansIllustration of how to make fu 12

Step 12

Add boiling water, the amount of water should be enough to cover the tofu, cook it for a while to let the various flavors blend, add a little sugar to taste Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 13

Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 13

Step 13

After simmering for a while, add the hot tofu. In order to ensure that the hot characters are really hot, the tofu must be simmered for a long time without lowering the heat. Add a little pepper powder, salt, MSG, seasoning, a little light soy sauce, a little dark soy sauce to make the soup look more moist. At this time, pour the first pass of gravy to let the flavor wrap around the tofu. After simmering for a while, pour the second pass of gravy, but don’t pour too much. Wait for a while and pour it for the third time. The last time depends on the consistency. You can master this by yourself and collect the juice. Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 14

Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 14

Step 14

Take it out of the pan, sprinkle with garlic sprouts and crushed Sichuan peppercorns prepared earlier, and serve. A quick tip: Mapo tofu must be thickened with pea flour three times and cannot be poured in at once. To judge whether the thickening is good or bad, look at the garlic sprouts. After a while, half of the garlic sprouts will sink in the soup, half will be outside, and then they will no longer sink. This is the best and requires more practice. Illustration of how to make traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu 15