Chinese restaurants · UKnearme

Mapo Tofu in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it

Quick answer

Mapo tofu is soft tofu and minced pork in a fiery, numbing sauce of fermented broad-bean paste, chilli and Sichuan pepper. It is one of the great Sichuan dishes: cheap, fast, and layered with the ma la tingle-and-heat that defines the region. The real thing is red with chilli oil and buzzes on the tongue; the mild Western version misses everything that makes it worth eating.

Calories and nutrition

Calories
450

350–560 kcal

Protein
24 g
Carbs
40 g
Fat
24 g
Salt
2.8 g

Portion: One portion with rice, about 350 g.

The bean paste and chilli oil carry the salt and fat; a vegetarian version is a little lighter.

Estimates for a typical portion, based on standard UK and USDA food composition data. Actual values depend on the recipe and the restaurant.

What mapo tofu is

Cubes of silken or soft tofu are simmered in a sauce built on doubanjiang (fermented broad-bean and chilli paste), with a little minced pork or beef, fermented black beans, garlic, chilli and ground Sichuan pepper, thickened and finished with more Sichuan pepper and chilli oil. It is served over rice. The name is said to come from the pockmarked (ma) old woman (po) who first made it. The signature is ma la: numbing Sichuan pepper against chilli heat, over the deep savouriness of the bean paste. The tofu stays soft and silky; the sauce does the work.

How to judge it

It should be red-brown from doubanjiang and chilli oil, deeply savoury and numbing, with the tofu intact and silky. A pale, mild, brown-sauce version with firm tofu is the anglicised one and a waste of the dish. Real Sichuan pepper (the tingle) and doubanjiang (the funk) are non-negotiable. Sichuan restaurants make it properly; ask for it authentic. A vegetarian version without the pork is common and good.

Sichuan staples together

Mapo tofu, kung pao chicken and dan dan noodles are the trio that mark a real Sichuan kitchen. If a restaurant does mapo tofu with the numbing heat intact, its other Sichuan dishes will be genuine too. It is also one of the cheapest great dishes on the menu.

Where it is done well in the UK

Sichuan restaurants, now in most UK cities and university towns. Our directory lists areas with the most Chinese restaurants.

How to order it

Order mapo tofu at a Sichuan restaurant and ask for it authentic if you want the numbing heat. It should be red, silky and buzzing on the tongue, not a mild brown sauce. A vegetarian version is usually available. Eat it over plenty of rice.

Where it's done well

UK councils with the most mapo tofu specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.

Restaurants near you

Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve mapo tofu near you.

Make it at home

Serves 2 · 20 min

Ingredients

  • 300 g silken or soft tofu, cubed
  • 100 g minced pork
  • 1.5 tbsp doubanjiang (fermented chilli bean paste)
  • 1 tbsp fermented black beans, optional
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground Sichuan pepper
  • 1 tbsp chilli oil
  • 200 ml stock, 1 tsp cornflour in water
  • 2 spring onions

Method

  1. Gently blanch the tofu cubes in salted water; drain.
  2. Fry the pork in oil until browned, add the doubanjiang, black beans and garlic and fry until the oil turns red.
  3. Add the stock, slide in the tofu, and simmer gently for a few minutes without breaking it up.
  4. Thicken with the cornflour, stir in chilli oil, ground Sichuan pepper and spring onions, and serve over rice with more Sichuan pepper on top.

Doubanjiang and Sichuan pepper are the dish; there is no substitute. Handle the soft tofu gently so it stays intact.