Mapo Tofu Recipe - Pai's Kitchen - Chinese Recipe

This is easily my favourite Chinese recipe. Soft, silky tofu in a rich, spicy, flavourful meat sauce...it's always a crowd pleaser. There are a few ingredients to get to know if you haven't had much experience with Chinese cooking, but the process is really straight forward and can be a relatively quick dinner. It also keeps well, so make lots and have extra for lunch the next day!
Sichuan peppercorns, broad bean paste (toban djan), Chinese black beans, are key ingredients that make up the uniquely delicious flavours of this dish. The other important thing is to get the right kind of tofu-you want it smooth and soft but not so soft that it will fall apart in the dish. So I don't go with soft or silken tofu (although you can, just be very gentle with it), the one I use if what's referred to as "traditional tofu" or "smooth tofu", which in terms of firmness is closest to "medium firm" tofu but I think it's a touch softer. You will want to look for this at a Chinese grocery store where they have lots of tofu options, you likely won't find this kind of tofu at a Western supermarket. Definitely not firm tofu for this dish though!
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About Pai:
Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant is the author of the Hot Thai Kitchen cookbook, co-host of a Canadian TV series One World Kitchen on Gusto TV, and creator and host of the KZbin channel Pailin's Kitchen.
Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her "playtime" in the kitchen. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.
After working in both Western and Thai professional kitchens, she decided that her passion really lies in educating and empowering others to cook at home via KZbin videos, her cookbook, and cooking classes. She currently lives in Vancouver, and goes to Thailand every year to visit her family. Visit her at hot-thai-kitchen.com
#ThaiFood #ThaiRecipes #AsianRecipes

[@PailinsKitchen]

HELLO LOVELY VIEWERS! Important Note: If you have questions about this recipe, you can post it here for the community to answer. But if you want to ask me, please get in touch via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or my website (all links are in the description above). If you leave questions in the comments I may not see them due to the large volume of comments I receive across the hundreds of videos on this channel. Also, before sending on any questions be sure to read the written recipe on the website as I often add extra tips and notes not covered in the video. Thank you for watching!

[@jackwyatt1218]

"Oh, yes!"

[@hanhnguyenhong2640]

hi! i did buy a chilli bean sauce for this dish, & dont know wat else i can cook with this sauce ( the vietnamese cookin dont use this sauce lah). can u share me other dishes that i can learn n finish this chilli bean bottle ? 😅. ah, btw, thank you for sharing us ur cookin technique, so awesome 👍.

[@ThePhotory]

Tried it with a mix of button and shiitake mushrooms instead of beef (four dried shiitakes and used the dehydrating water as a sub for the broth) and it turned out great! Best I've made so far

[@Doughnutthanwarin]

I love mapo with jasmine rice! So flavorful.

[@michellexing8066]

Have to say this is the most authentic version of Mapo Tofu as far as I have seen on KZbin. Always get shocked by Pai's ability to recreate Asian recipes from different countries without much nonsense twists on it so as to keep it classic and authentic. Was a bit concerned that this would be disappointing as most of other food bloggers were when I saw the notification of this video..but absolutely amazing as always!

[@PailinsKitchen]

Thank you!

[@keithcallen2844]

Yes, nice to see. We all put our own slant to things. But we get way off the mark without the basics.

[@Ash-op2ql]

Chinese cooking demystified.

[@jeromeplum]

I am a big fan of Pai, and I don't really mind the authenticity of Chinese food as long as it's good. Here is another version of mapo tofu. It's in Japanese. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6irhWCFj6h2gLM

[@jamesnotking]

So excited to see Chinese recipe!!

[@loannhoang8055]

I made this dish twice, first time with beef, second time with pork and I found pork is more tasty! This is one of my favorite Chinese dish to order at the restaurant now I can make it at home. Thank you so much for this video and loved all your video.

[@atticushensley739]

This recipe has become my comfort food go to. Thank you for all the joy and great tastes that you share!

[@mablebird5026]

Looks so good! I’ll be making it soon. Love your personality ☺️❤️

[@qtunicorn2123]

I always love to see other culture's take on Chinese cuisine :)

[@ramsr6741]

Omgeee! I made this today and it was the best Mapo tofu I ever tasted! Thank you for sharing the recipe!

[@coralinealgae]

My favorite Chinese dish! One of my favorite foods from anywhere. I always blanch the soft tofu for a minute in lightly salted simmering water to help it stay together. So delicious!

[@ernestkj]

Was just thinking of Mapo Tofu for dinner and you release this new video! Perfect timing!😚

[@AnzanHoshinRoshi]

Thank you, Pailin. Definitely a favourite.

[@allenenriquez8801]

I'm passing this video along on social media. Thank you for sharing, Pai!!!

[@KaryFlix]

Thank you Pai for this recipe, Pai...it's another one of my favorites but I haven't tried it at home so far. Now that you have shown this, I can go ahead with full trust that it'll be great 😁

[@peterstang]

Very good demo! I just love this very recipe and just bought the marpo bean paste. This vid is a special bonus from you because I didn't know how to start if not for you.Thank you very much.

[@vincenty2298]

I'm just so excited to see you start to do Chinese recipe! Keep on !

[@bluelily5012]

Hello! Just want you to know youre my fave food vlogger here on youtube! Youre genuine and not boring to watch at all. And the dishes you cook uggghhh so good!! All the best!! 💙☺️

[@broccolifan6971]

Thanks for the tips about cutting up the cooked hot tofu. It absorbs so much heat. This is really one Chinese comfort food recipe if it's mild spicy version.

[@snowmembe]

That was wonderful, Pailin! Spice up your palates. Loved it! 🤗👍👍💖💕💖

[@monsieurx6053]

I'm gonna try this out... Umm! Looks yummy ❤️ love it Pai

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

I'm so happy! You must have heard my prayers. Mapo tofu is my favorite Chinese dish, and I've never really been able to make it well. Btw, I didn't know you could sing! Nice vibrato at 6:43. I'm glad you encouraged extra heat at the end. I think that Thai dried hot peppers belong in basically every stir-fry, Thai or not. ; )

[@thomasjordan3241]

Hooray!! I love this dish - Love Love Love!! Thank you so much!!!!!

[@egbertsmith2435]

I just made this. It is delicious! Thanks for the recipe.

[@timwebber8630]

Pai - You are amazing! Thank you sharing all your talent. Blessings : )

[@unstoppablezone4980]

I learned a lot from this....after watching several other videos on the same dish. Thanks for an entertaining and clear process. Will make this tonight. :)

[@chris_yeezy7798]

One of my favorite dishes 🙌

[@rachs57]

Great recipe, I just made 'mapudubu' Korean version and my mouth is on fire. The ingredients didn't seem the ones I had tasted previously in Chinese restaurants, but I jumped in hoping to learn. Well, I learned (!) I will likely substitute dried mushrooms reconstituted for the meat but other wise thank you so much for sharing this.

[@user-kp5uy8vd8o]

I made your Burmesr fish curry and it came out amazing. Can't wait to try this!

[@larrysong953]

Mapo tofu is indeed a favorite recipe to many Asian folks including me ☺👏

[@1bush053]

one of my favorite dishes. You know Pai you should be on the cooking channel or food network.

[@PEJEGEE]

Great recipe! Turned out just as good as the mapo tofu from my favorite Szechuan restaurant!

[@vl4720]

Right I know what I'm having for lunch hehe! Thank you ! BTW, your Cantonese sounds so cute !

[@tangsiengly2931]

looking so good well done Pailin's Kitchen...

[@prettywoman7995]

You are such an inspiration. Im excited to try this...

[@poconosgiant3255]

Looks delicious. I will try it today. Thanks.

[@larrysong953]

I also love that Sichuan pepper corns in it 👏 To bad many restaurants don't add Sichuan pepper.

[@merlin22light11]

I don't like spicy foods but this looks and sounds so good I'm going to try it

[@carieh3279]

Thanks! This is one of my fav😘

[@sem1conscious]

I was planning on making this today.. I guess I'll use your recipe now!

[@user-ko7ty4vh4d]

VISlT MY site, after that see film and CLIP 18+ ! Follow me webchat.date/Withme

[@unipankitchen4947]

Wow Your video production is so simple with a great photography and video editing. I’m catching up all of your old contents and they inspire me. Ps. Food is always amazing! Thank you khun Pai!

[@harunomicchiru]

Thank you for the amazing recipes :) Could you do a video about/explain using induction cooktops to cook, especially with woks?

[@m.taylor]

I don't eat beef so I subbed in cooked navy beans and the spices were terrific with it, but I used miso instead of doubangjiang. Eating it with congee was amazing.

[@Timurlane100]

Wow! Looks great!

[@tenboard]

first time viewer! I love mapo tofu! It looks so delicious

[@amel-jg5ui]

You're my hero! Thank you!

[@robertma2146]

Well done explanation on how to get it right! Cheers!

[@DStrayCat69]

Excellent recipe :-) It reminds me of my favorite Szechuan dish... "Dan Dan Noodles". The peppercorns are used in that too... I particularly like the pungent aroma and flavor... Some friends, here in Edmonton have/had a Szechuan restaurant and I can't go there without having the Dan Dan Noodles... Gaud! I love it... They even make their own Noodles... Their food is to die for, if one likes Very Spicy food... :-)

[@acwnsws]

พูดเก่งจังครับ เพิ่งมาเจอแชลแนลนี้ ฟังเพลินมากๆฝึกภาษาไปในตัว

[@leynanguyen1317]

thanks for sharing 👍it’s my favorite 😔😔

[@Papillon_2010]

My favorite dish ever!!!

[@nootr.6562]

I’ve been waiting for this.

[@leiawapuhi01]

Gotta try this!!

[@AHG1347]

I just made this recently for my wife because it is her favorite tofu dish. What a timely video, and I love the recipe.

[@CharlizeRed]

Love your Cantonese!! Love from Hong Kong

[@Pixlanta]

so simple to make, thank you

[@marions.2772]

It looks very good!

[@Becausing]

Doubanjiang is one of THE best sauces in the world. So unique, so delicious, so versatile.

[@stephenwmsmith]

Funny. My boyfriend, who is also named Adam, loves Mapu Tofu as well (We get lots of the "Its Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve" jokes but always in a loving manner)

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

I hope those jokes are made in good fun.

[@Taricus]

LOL! omg XD

[@aceTL87]

My favorite dish!

[@hopestrategy7939]

lol perfect pronunciation on "dou see" - fermented black beans; great presentation as always

[@therealsocialgadfly]

That's it. I'm inviting myself to dinner. 😁

[@baboon500]

My favorite!!

[@Nikhilshinde333]

It reminds me of my first Chinese dish I have ever made

[@aonjungworld9968]

Wow every nice food 😋😋😋

[@evasulistyawan]

Looks yummy. Running to 1M subscribers ya Pai. Keep spirit 😊

[@andretan2446]

I enjoy the numbness from the peppercorn, but most people that I know don’t enjoy as much. If you don’t have the black bean, you could use the fermented black bean, which you used in your steamed pork ribs (dim sum) recipe. I personally like my mayo tofu to be on spicy side, so I always add dried chilies on top of the dou ban Jiang and peppercorn. Great recipe, Pailin.

[@PailinsKitchen]

These black beans are the same ones that I used in the ribs recipe :)

[@KnowYourCooking]

Hi Pai, very interesting receipes... :)

[@frightfulkitchen7366]

I love Mapo Tofu! I was told by a Chinese friend of mine that many people mistakenly use that type of doubanjiang from Lee Kum Lee; you should look out for Pixian Doubanjiang if you want a more authentic experience. If I can buy it in Spain, you must be able to find it in Canada! That said, I'm sure your version still tastes amazing! :-)

[@velvetshaus5580]

Thumbnail brought me here..lol My mom loves tofu..,, I'm going to tell her about your channel... Oh yeaah she is going to l love it.

[@xngel_7]

Looks amazing! Would it be possible to try out a thukpa recipe for your channel? Thank you!

[@Diabolik771]

I put Okra in mine. A perfect vegetable with this type of sauce.

[@AG-vk5or]

Can you you make more Chinese dishes? Live your channel:)

[@angelchristopheralvarez5032]

Love your videos, Mapo tofu is in my top 5 Chinese dishes😋By the way, what is the name brand and model of your portable stovetop? I have an electric coil stove oven and it’s not very conducive or as effective in execution for Chinese cuisine or any Asian cuisine involving wok cookery for that matter. Thanks, keep up the good work😇👍

[@OnlyBelovedBooster]

น่าทานมากๆ เลยครับ

[@noffeefrith3164]

Used to think it's quite hard to make but got a bit confident after seeing your video Pailin 😊. One question, any other option to substitute the chinese cooking wine ?

[@jackwyatt1218]

I'm in love.

[@GK-ni3wn]

To get it really authentic, you should use Pixian Douban 郫县豆瓣, a variety of Douban sauce made near Chengdu and used in many Sichuan dishes. I have been able to buy this in Europe, so probably it's also available in the US. I would also use slightly less beef, 50-100g at most. But well done video, this dish is really a classic!

[@michellexing8066]

Totally agree! This dish has to use 郫县豆瓣 which is a classic ingredient in Sichuan cuisine...it has its unique flavour which is absolutely irreplaceable

[@earlystrings1]

Pixan la doban can be hard to source in the US unless there is a good asian supermarket nearby but it's available from amazon. Fermented black beans are pretty common.

[@Nocturne22]

She literally just said it's the only kind she can get in her local supermarket; she is in Canada. So it's not how you would make it, but it's how she normally makes it based on the ingredients she can normally get. That's more authentic to me - seeing how she cooks in real life with what she has - than if she were to order it off Amazon just for a video.

[@GK-ni3wn]

Nocturne22 You’re right of course, finding the right ingredients to make authentic Asian food is the most challenging thing. A couple of years back you couldn’t find any Sichuanese ingredients in Chinese supermarkets here. I didn’t mean to be critical btw, this recipe is definitely a lot more authentic than some of the Mapo tofu I had in Chinese restaurants in Europe. Big thumbs up!

[@ichigeri]

Ya I bought that Pixian, AAA-grade peppercorns and good chilis all through Amazon.

[@5360544]

it looks amazing! but i've always seen that the blanch the tofu to harden it a little bit and also they put a li'l bit of chinise black vinegar

[@daenas]

I've GOT to try this! Thank you!

[@loati94]

Today I did this recipe. I reduced the sauce too much and it got quite dry and next time I will use less sichuan pepper or make it more fine because sometimes I chew too many sichuan peppers and it gets a little overwhelming but it was really tasty!

[@rubyellellc3246]

Yummm, I can’t wait to try this... Will ground chicken work as well?!

[@elleh3495]

What's your opinion on cornstarch thickener? I find if it sits too long or gets hot enough it actually goes back to a liquid. I have started using rice flour slurry because of this--its far more stable.

[@hoku4star]

My fave

[@grant575mixmaster]

best mapo tofy recipe on the net

[@Loafie8]

Hi Pailin! Can you do or teach us how to make roti sai mai??

[@cathrindo7485]

Dear Pailin My name is Cathrin. I like all your dishes as I like Thai foods 👍👍 I have tried a Thai dish in Vietnam at Thai Express restaurant which is very popular reataurant in Hochiminh city The dish is called Tau foo Si ew dam ( taufu in dark soy sauce ), it is so delicious. I would like to ask you if it is really Thai dish ? If it is, do you show me how to cook it to enjoy at home because I am not living in Vietnam to be at Thai express again Thanks for your respond Cathin

[@lsweeten1971]

We must know Adam's to 10 fav dishes. =D

[@thewrongend]

You should go for a Pixian version of doubanjiang. Much more intense flavou than the soy bean/broad bean mix.

[@maryjanebritos1571]

I'm making this recipe tonight...

[@cathrindo7485]

Tau hoo Si Ew Dam is staty, sweet, salty, soury, very nice I have a picture as well but don’t know how to send it to you.

[@yldzcetindede6483]

Yum yum 💝😛😘

[@avrevs]

this is a really great recipe - a far cry from most restaurant versions. i think the szechuan pepper will surprise nonasian eaters! i agree the red is better. it is such a crazy but wonderful spice!

[@sh3n3ng]

This dish is good with rice and great with beer.

[@wezzuh2482]

Was the Chinese cookig wine Xao Shing?

[@terryb3388]

LOVE YOUR MONEY SHOT! SO GOOD!!!

[@axiomist1076]

What do you mean by "numbness" ? The word means "lack of feeling". Is that what you mean? Ive eaten tons of Sechuan food and I never felt numbness. I did eat it with lots of hot spice and it gave me a burning sensation, but I definitely felt it. And the flavor was delicious.

[@myssdaisy2009]

Yumz

[@kochichris]

i use minched chicken with tofu firm in tiny blocks, then the rest=3

[@tanhasikder8961]

Wish I could make it my country doesn't have the ingredients which has been use in the video