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Recipe details are AI-generated from the video and may contain errors — for reference only.
Place 400g of tofu on a cutting board and cut it into uniform square cubes for later use.
Watch out
Keep the knife steady when cutting tofu, and cut into uniform sizes, otherwise it will cook unevenly.
Bring appropriate water to a boil in a wok, add tofu cubes, 10ml soy sauce, and 2g salt, blanch to remove beany flavor and season, until tofu releases moisture, then scoop out and set aside.
local_fire_departmenthigh heatWatch out
Water must boil before adding tofu, otherwise it breaks easily
handle gently when scooping out
Hot oil may splatter when adding beef mince, stand slightly to the side when adding.
Heat wok, add 30ml cooking oil, add 100g beef mince and stir-fry continuously until crispy and dry, then remove and set aside.
local_fire_departmentmedium heatWatch out
Beef mince must be stir-fried until crispy and dry, otherwise it will taste tough and lack aroma.
Leave base oil in the wok, add 30g chili bean paste, 15g chili flakes, and 10g fermented black beans to stir-fry until red oil and aroma develop, then add 15g minced garlic and stir-fry until fragrant.
local_fire_departmentlow heatWatch out
Heat must not be too high, otherwise paste and chili flakes will easily burn and turn bitter
absolutely do not add ginger
Add 200ml stock to the fried base, then pour in the fried beef mince and blanched tofu cubes, keeping the stock level at about 50% covering the tofu, and gently push in one direction with the back of a spatula.
local_fire_departmentmedium heatWatch out
Stock must not completely submerge the tofu, keep it covering about half
push tofu only in one direction with the back of the spatula, do not stir back and forth
Mix 15g cornstarch with 45ml water into a slurry, add to the wok in three small portions: first to let flavor soak in, second for texture, third to bind completely without leaking water, while gradually lowering the heat to a simmer.
local_fire_departmentmedium-low to simmer heatWatch out
Cornstarch slurry must be added in three portions, pouring it all at once will result in uneven sauce that fails to coat tofu.
Add 30g cut garlic shoots before removing from heat, gently mix and cook for a moment longer to let the flavor infuse.
local_fire_departmentsimmer heatWatch out
Do not cook garlic shoots too long after adding, to avoid losing their crisp texture and bright green color.
Must use insulated gloves when moving clay pots or containers just removed from heat, as clay pots retain extreme heat and touching them barehanded will cause severe burns.
Transfer the cooked mapo tofu into a warm clay pot, evenly sprinkle 3g ground Sichuan pepper on top, showcasing numbing, spicy, crispy, aromatic, tender, intact, and piping hot characteristics.
Watch out
Ground Sichuan pepper should be sprinkled on top after plating, adding it too early will cause it to lose its numbing aroma.
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