If you're craving a spicy and flavorful dish but short on time, look no further than mapo tofu made in the microwave. This classic Sichuan dish, known for its tender tofu, savory minced pork, and a rich, spicy sauce, can be easily recreated in your microwave in a fraction of the time it would take using traditional methods. With a few simple ingredients and a few minutes in the microwave, you can have a satisfying and authentic mapo tofu ready to enjoy.
Let's cook with our recipes!
MAPO TOFU
This mapo tofu recipe is the true blue, authentic real deal-the spicy, tongue-numbing, rice-is-absolutely-not-optional mapo tofu that you get in the restaurants!
Provided by Kaitlin
Categories Tofu
Time 35m
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- First, we toast the chilies. If you have homemade toasted chili oil, you can skip this step. Heat your wok or a small saucepan over low heat. Add ¼ cup of the oil and throw in the fresh and dried peppers. Stir occasionally and heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes, ensuring that the peppers don't burn. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Heat the remaining ¼ cup of oil in your wok over medium heat. Add the ginger. After 1 minute, add the garlic. Fry for another minute, and then turn up the heat to high and add the ground pork. Break up the meat and fry it until it's cooked through. Add your ground Sichuan peppercorns and stir for about 15-30 seconds, taking care to not let it burn, as it will turn bitter if it does.
- Add the spicy bean sauce to the mixture and stir it in well. Add ⅔ cups of 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 cornstarch and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to your sauce and stir. Let it bubble away until the sauce starts to thicken. (If it gets too thick, splash in a little more water or chicken stock.)
- Then add your chili oil from before-peppers and all! If you are using homemade chili oil, ONLY use the standing oil, as it's likely that you have salted it and you only want the oil, not additional salt. Stir the oil into the sauce, and add the tofu. Use your spatula to gently toss the tofu in the sauce. Let everything cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the sesame oil and sugar (if using) along with the scallions and stir until the scallions are just wilted.
- Serve with a last sprinkle of Sichuan peppercorn powder as a garnish if desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 335 kcal, Carbohydrate 8 g, Protein 11 g, Fat 29 g, SaturatedFat 5 g, Cholesterol 27 mg, Sodium 126 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 2 g, ServingSize 1 serving
MAPO TOFU RECIPE
Famous Mapo Tofu Recipe From Sichuan Cuisine. Recipe video below.
Provided by Elaine
Categories Main Course
Time 20m
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Add a small pinch of salt and ground pepper. Mix well and set aside.
- Cut tofu into square cubes (around 2cms). Bring a large amount of water to a boil and then add a pinch of salt. Slide the tofu in and cook for 1 minute. Move out and drain. This helps to remove the raw soy flavor form tofu.
- Get a wok and heat up around 2 tablespoons of oil, fry the minced meat until crispy. Transfer out and leave the oil in.
- Add another 1 tablespoon of vegetable cooking oil and fry doubanjiang for 1 minute over slow fire until the red turns red (bring us a lovely red color dish) and add fermented black beans, garlic, scallion white and ginger, cook for 30 seconds until aroma. Optionally mix pepper flakes in. Pepper flakes should be added at the end because it contains little water and can be burnt easily.
- Pour in water or stock. Add light soy sauce, sugar and half of the cooked beef (providing more flavors to the soup) after the broth boils and let it continue simmering for 2-3 minutes. Place the tofu in, simmer for another 6-8 minutes. The longer time of simmering helps the tofu to absorb the flavors.
- During the process of simmering, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2.5 tablespoons of water in a small bowl to make water starch. Stir the water starch and then pour half of the mixture to the simmering pot. Back push and wait for around 30 seconds and then pour the other half. You can slightly taste the tofu and add pinch of salt if not salty enough. Add cooked beef to creates some crispy texture and then drizzle sesame oil. Mix well.
- Transfer out when almost all the seasonings stick to tofu cubes. Sprinkle Szechuan peppercorn powder (to taste)and chopped garlic greens if using.
- Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 501 kcal, Carbohydrate 21 g, Protein 22 g, Fat 35 g, SaturatedFat 6 g, Cholesterol 35 mg, Sodium 1072 mg, Fiber 3 g, Sugar 6 g, ServingSize 1 serving
MAPO TOFU
Even if you're not keen on tofu, give this mapo tofu a go. It's hot and really strongly flavoured thanks to chilli bean paste, fermented black beans and more
Provided by Diana Henry
Categories Dinner, Lunch, Main course, Supper
Time 30m
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Get all the ingredients ready before you start cooking and set them out in bowls. Drain the tofu and cut it into 1.5cm cubes. Put it in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Leave this while you get on with everything else.
- Heat a wok and pour in the groundnut oil. Get this really hot and fry the pork until it's crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon but leave the oil behind.
- Add the bean paste and cook, stirring for a few mins until fragrant, then add the black beans, ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring, for a min or so, then add the stock and let it bubble away.
- Stir the cornflour and water into the mixture in the wok, drain the tofu and stir it into the sauce. Tip in the spring onions and the mince.
- Add the chilli oil, if using, and sprinkle over the Sichuan peppercorns. The sauce shouldn't need seasoning with salt, as many of the ingredients are salty already. Serve with boiled white rice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 310 calories, Fat 21 grams fat, SaturatedFat 4 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 6 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 2 grams sugar, Fiber 3 grams fiber, Protein 22 grams protein, Sodium 1 milligram of sodium
MAPO TOFU (MICROWAVE RECIPE)
Mapo tofu is one of the most common foods in Japanese homes. It's very easy to cook on a stovetop but cooking it in a microwave cuts the cooking time in half. This recipe is very hard to resist. It always makes me want to eat more rice.
Provided by Pearl Ishizaki
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Asian Japanese
Time 30m
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Drain tofu, wrap in paper towels, and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes. Unwrap and slice into 3/4-inch cubes.
- Whisk miso paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, oyster sauce, doubanjiang, ginger, and garlic together in a bowl.
- Whisk 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch together in a small bowl until smooth.
- Combine miso mixture, remaining water, ground beef, and ground pork together in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and cook on 600W for 4 minutes. Drain liquid into the cornstarch mixture; mix well.
- Mix tofu, cornstarch mixture, and green onion carefully into the bowl of ground meat. Cover and cook until flavors combine, about 4 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 319.4 calories, Carbohydrate 12.5 g, Cholesterol 44.2 mg, Fat 19.3 g, Fiber 2.3 g, Protein 26.1 g, SaturatedFat 5.5 g, Sodium 799.7 mg, Sugar 3.7 g
MAPO TOFU RECIPE BY TASTY
Mapo tofu is the perfect dish to add to your weekly routine. It's savory and spicy (and happens to be vegetarian!).
Provided by Aleya Zenieris
Time 1h15m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the shiitake mushrooms. Soak for 30 minutes, until completely rehydrated. Remove the mushrooms from the water and reserve the soaking liquid. Coarsely chop the rehydrated mushrooms.
- Dice the tomatoes and green bell pepper. Stem and chop the white button mushrooms.
- In a small bowl, combine the chili garlic paste, black bean with garlic sauce, bean paste, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sugar. Stir until smooth.
- Dice the tofu into 1-inch (2 ½ cm) cubes.
- In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the rehydrated shiitake and button mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomato and cook until the pepper and mushrooms have softened slightly, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, until fully combined and fragrant.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and ½ cup (75 G) of the reserved mushroom soaking water until the cornstarch dissolves.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the pan and cook until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tofu and cook until heated through, 2-3 minutes more.
- Serve immediately over cooked white rice.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 172 calories, Carbohydrate 15 grams, Fat 8 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 10 grams, Sugar 6 grams
MUSHROOM MAPO TOFU
Enjoy this plant-based version of Chinese mapo tofu served with jasmine rice and steamed greens. Meaty shitake mushrooms and firm tofu make a great combo
Provided by Ching-He Huang
Categories Dinner
Time 18m
Yield Serves 4
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Drain the tofu and press gently with kitchen paper to remove any excess moisture. Alternatively, you could place the tofu on a clean tea towel, place a clean medium chopping board over the top and leave for 10 mins to press out any excess moisture. Slice into 1.5 x 1.5cm sized chunks.
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a jug.
- Heat a wok over a high heat and drizzle in the rapeseed oil. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies and stir for a few seconds. Tip in the mushrooms and stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the Sichuan pepper and the tofu, gently stirring. Add the chilli bean paste and dark soy sauce, followed by the Shaoxing rice wine or sherry. Pour in the sauce ingredients, stir everything to combine, and bring to the bubble, cooking for 1 min.
- Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle over the ground toasted Sichuan pepper and spring onions to serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 233 calories, Fat 13 grams fat, SaturatedFat 2 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 11 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 4 grams sugar, Fiber 4 grams fiber, Protein 16 grams protein, Sodium 2.83 milligram of sodium
Tips:
- Prep Your Ingredients: Before starting, make sure all your ingredients are prepped and measured. This will help streamline the cooking process.
- Use Soft Tofu: Soft or silken tofu works best for this recipe as it absorbs the sauce better, resulting in a creamier texture.
- Drain and Press the Tofu: To remove excess moisture, drain the tofu and press it gently between two plates for a few minutes. This helps the tofu hold its shape better when cooking.
- Marinate the Tofu: Marinating the tofu in a mixture of soy sauce, cornstarch, and sesame oil adds flavor and helps it absorb the sauce better.
- Use a Non-Stick Pan: A non-stick pan prevents the tofu and sauce from sticking during cooking, making the process easier.
- Cook the Tofu in Batches: If using a smaller pan, cook the tofu in batches to avoid overcrowding and ensure even cooking.
- Add Vegetables Last: Add the vegetables towards the end of cooking to retain their texture and vibrant colors.
- Use Low-Sodium Soy Sauce: If you prefer a less salty dish, opt for low-sodium soy sauce or adjust the amount used to your taste.
- Serve with Rice or Noodles: Mapo tofu is traditionally served with steamed rice or rice noodles, which soak up the delicious sauce.
Conclusion:
With these easy-to-follow recipes and helpful tips, you can now create a delicious and authentic Mapo tofu dish in the comfort of your own home. Experiment with different variations, adjust the spice level to your liking, and enjoy this classic Sichuan dish whenever you crave it. Whether you're a tofu enthusiast or simply looking for a flavorful and satisfying meal, Mapo tofu is a versatile and delicious option that's sure to impress your taste buds.
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