Ma-Po Tofu (Simmered Tofu With Ground Pork)
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1tablespoon peanut or other oil
- 1tablespoon minced garlic
- 1tablespoon minced ginger
- ¼teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- ¼ to ½pound ground pork
- ½cup chopped scallions, green part only
- ½cup stock or water
- 1pound soft or silken tofu, cut in ½-inch cubes
- 2tablespoons soy sauce
- Salt to taste
- Minced cilantro for garnish, optional
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
237 calories; 15 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 524 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Put oil in a deep 10-inch skillet or wok, preferably nonstick, and turn heat to medium-high. A minute later, add garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes, and cook just until they begin to sizzle, less than a minute. Add pork, and stir to break it up; cook, stirring occasionally, until it loses most of its pink color.
- Step 2
Add scallions and stir; add stock. Cook for a minute or so, scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon if necessary to loosen any stuck bits of meat, then add tofu. Cook, stirring once or twice, until tofu is heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Step 3
Stir in the soy sauce; taste, and add salt and red pepper flakes as necessary. Garnish with cilantro if you like, and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
You need 1 or 2 tablespoons szechuan hot bean paste (la do ban jiang) added to the pork, then a tablespoon or 2 of sherry added with the stock. You can also thicken with a little cornstarch & water. Garnish with ground szechuan peppercorns & scallions.
Add a tablespoon of fermented black beans along with the garlic, ginger, and red pepper for even better flavor.
Simple and delicious over any rice. My husband who doesn't love pork or tofu adores this recipe which easily serves two of us twice, and is just as good reheated. He asks for it at least once a week and it is a snap to make. I can see adding all sorts of things to this but it is delicious as is. The only changes I made were a finely chopped small onion with the garlic, doubled the ginger, and used diced cucumber on the top for crunch and freshness.
This is my #1 most made recipe off the NY Times cooking website. As a single guy, it hits all my marks: it's easy, quick, flavorful, healthy, and reheats great as leftovers. I usually use an entire package (~1lb) of ground pork, and serve it over cauliflower rice (or regular rice). I add la do ban jiang as recommended by others-- easy to get off of Amazon and really elevates the flavor. I easily get 3-4 meals out of this.
This is not mapo tofu. This is pork and tofu stir fried with ginger, scallions and garlic. Key ingredients are missing (most importantly sichuan peppercorns) , and the sauce is broth and soy sauce! This is the equivalent of making a ham and cheese sandwich and calling it a cubano. This recipe needs to be culturally fact checked!
Add some black bean garlic sauce (maybe 2 T) and hot chili oil. Made as written but also added about 1 T. cornstarch with some of the soy sauce. Richard liked it.