Mapo tofu is one of my favorite foods. This recipe calls for minced meat, but if you want to make a vegetarian version of it you can substitute it with shiitake mushrooms and get a similar result. In the summertime I can get garlic greens, which really rounds out the flavor. The heart of this dish is the doubanjiang, a spicy fermented bean sauce. This is crucial for mapo tofu, and I haven’t found anything that could replace it. It should be found in well-stocked Asian grocery stores.

• 600g tofu, medium firm
• 100g minced beef
• 1tbsp. minced garlic
• 1tbsp. minced ginger
• 1-2tsp. doubanjiang
• 2tbsp. soy sauce
• ~1tbsp. corn flour
• 1tsp Sichuan pepper
• 2 sprigs spring onion greens
• 2 sprigs fresh garlic greens
• ~1tbsp. Sesame oil
• Canola oil, for frying

1. Slice tofu into large cubes. If you’re using soft, silken tofu, put a pot of water to boil, and boil the cut tofu for ~1 minute.
2. Roast the Sichuan peppers until fragrant, and grind to powder.
3. Mix the sesame oil into the minced beef, and fry beef at high temperature until browned and slightly crispy. Put cooked beef aside.
4. Fry doubanjiang over medium heat in small amount of oil until fragrant. Add garlic and ginger and fry for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add 300 ml of water and the soy sauce into the pan. Mix corn flour with a couple tbsp. of water and add this mixture into the pan, mixing it in quickly.
6. Once your sauce has thickened up, add the tofu cubes. Coat them with the sauce and leave to simmer for 5-10 minutes. If the sauce seems too dry, add more water.
7. Mix in the fried beef and add the Sichuan pepper, chopped garlic and spring onion greens on top.
8. Serve with rice