Chinese Mapo Tofu: 20-Minute Spicy Pork and Tofu Skillet for Busy Weeknights

Bring a saucepan of salted water to a gentle simmer, slide in the tofu cubes and poach for 3 minutes. Drain carefully; this firms the tofu so it holds together in the sauce.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound soft or medium-firm tofu, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 8 ounces ground pork
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 2 tablespoons doubanjiang (Sichuan chili bean paste)
• 1 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed and chopped (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chili flakes or chili oil, to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon ground toasted Sichuan peppercorns
• 4 scallions, sliced
• Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a gentle simmer, slide in the tofu cubes and poach for 3 minutes. Drain carefully; this firms the tofu so it holds together in the sauce.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and fry, breaking it up, for 3 to 4 minutes until browned and crisp at the edges.
3. Push the pork aside, lower the heat to medium and add the doubanjiang, black beans and chili flakes. Fry for 1 minute until the oil turns deep red and fragrant.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds.
5. Pour in the stock, soy sauce and sugar and bring to a simmer. Gently add the tofu and let it bubble for 3 to 4 minutes, nudging rather than stirring so the cubes stay whole.
6. Stir the cornstarch slurry, drizzle it in and simmer 1 minute more until the sauce turns glossy and clings to the tofu.
7. Turn off the heat, sprinkle with the ground Sichuan pepper and most of the scallions, and serve over steamed rice with the remaining scallions on top. Leftovers reheat gently and are arguably better the next day.
8. Mapo tofu was born in Chengdu in the 1860s at a small restaurant run by a woman remembered as Chen Mapo, the pockmarked grandmother, who fed hungry porters and oil carriers a cheap, fiery dish of tofu and a little meat. It is the definitive expression of Sichuan's ma la flavor, the combination of numbing Sichuan pepper and chili heat, layered over the deep savory funk of fermented broad-bean paste. Because the tofu is the star and the pork is a seasoning, it stretches a small amount of meat across a family dinner, which is exactly the frugal, fast logic that keeps it on weeknight tables from Chengdu to Chicago.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 340 kcal
• Protein: 24g
• Fat: 22g
• Carbohydrates: 12g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 3g
• Sodium: 890mg