Everyday meals · China

Mapo Tofu

Name: Mapo Tofu
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 1 onion, sliced; 1 small piece of ginger, minced (about 2 tsp); 1–2 tsp crushed dried chile pepper; 200 g (7 oz) minced beef, or pork; 4 cloves of garlic, minced; 500 g (1 lb) silken tofu, cubed; 2 tbsp chili bean paste (la doubanjiang); 1 tbsp Szechuan pepper, roasted and ground; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp rice wine; 3–4 green onions, cut into 2 cm (1 inch) pieces; 2–3 mushrooms (tree ears preferred; optional)

Mápó dòufu (麻婆豆腐), also romanized as mapo tofu, is a classic spicy tofu and meat dish from the Szechuan province of China. It is a very flavourful, easy-to-prepare, and spicy dish.

Published October 16, 2026

EST. TOTAL TIME30 min

DIFFICULTYMedium

SERVES2

Time and difficulty are editorial estimates; allow extra time for your equipment and experience.

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What you’ll need

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Let’s make it

Step 1
If using dried mushrooms, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes while preparing the rest of the ingredients, then slice before adding later.
Step 2
Sauté onion with ginger and crushed chili.
Step 3
Add minced meat and garlic, and fry until brown.
Step 4
Mix in other ingredients (including sliced mushrooms), lower heat, and simmer for 5–10 minutes.
Step 5
Serve over steamed jasmine rice.

Mapo Tofu

What you’ll need

Let’s make it

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