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Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐

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Today’s dinner is Japanese version Mapo Tofu. Incredibly flavorful but less spicy than the Sichuan-style Mapo Tofu, this tofu dish makes a lovely one meal dish that even children can enjoy!

Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu 麻婆豆腐) | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) is Mr. JOC’s favorite dish and it makes it into my dinner dish rotation frequently in our household.

Since it takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, I usually cook this dish when I’m too busy to cook a more elaborate meal.  We usually eat it as a donburi-style meal (rice bowl).  This is a great hearty dish to please everyone in the family.

Watch How To Make Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐の作り方

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What is Mapo Tofu?

Mapo Tofu is a popular Chinese dish from Sichuan province.  The classic recipe consists of silken tofu, ground pork or beef, fermented broad beans & soybeans (doubanjiang), fermented black beans (douchi), and Sichuan peppercorn to name a few main ingredients.

Tofu is cooked in a spicy and oily, chili- and bean-based sauce, which lends beautiful bright red color to the dish.

While the original Shichuan Mapo Tofu is pretty spicy, the Japanese version is usually mild so even children can enjoy it.

Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu 麻婆豆腐) | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

Japanese-Style Mapo Tofu

In Japan, Mapo Tofu is called Mabo Dofu and it’s written either as 麻婆豆腐 or マーボー豆腐 in Japanese.

How did the dish arrive in Japan you might wonder?  It was introduced to Japan in 1970s by Chen Kenmin, a famous Chinese chef in Japan. I mentioned about Chef Chen in my previous post here. He was the culinary hero that brought many popular Chinese recipes to Chinese restaurants in Japan.

Thanks to Chef Chen, Mapo Tofu, Ebi Chili (Chili Prawns エビチリ), and Stir-Fried Pork and Bell Peppers (Chin-jao ro-su 青椒肉絲)  are just a few widely well-known Chinese dishes in Japan.

These dishes have been enjoyed in Japanese household for almost half a decade!  In Japanese grocery stores, you can find the convenient ready-to-eat sauces for these popular dishes.  I remember the packages were in my mom’s kitchen pantry too!

Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu 麻婆豆腐) | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

Chinese Mapo Tofu vs. Japanese Mabo Dofu

There are many versions of Mabo Dofu within Japan and each household cooks it differently.

The common ingredients that you may not find in classic Chinese Mapo Tofu include miso (Japanese fermented soybeans, sometimes rice and barley included), mirin or sugar, and sesame oil.  Soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sake are sometimes added too.

As I mentioned above, Japanese Mabo Dofu doesn’t include any chili or peppercorn.  The only “spicy” element comes from doubanjiang, the fermented bean paste. Please note the difference between doubanjiang and ladoubanjiang as the latter includes chili.

Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu 麻婆豆腐) | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

Quick & Easy Homemade Mapo Tofu

If you never made this dish before, it might sound and look challenging to you.  However, this dish can be prepared easily with typical Asian/Japanese ingredients.

The key ingredient for Mapo Tofu (or Mabo Dofu) is Fermented Broad Beans & Soybeans called Doubanjiang (豆瓣酱), which lends a whole new dimension to the dish. If you have tried my Vegetarian Ramen and Miso Ramen recipes, you probably have the bean paste in your refrigerator already. The fermented beans give amazing umami; therefore, please do not substitute.

Chili (Fermented) Bean Paste

Left: Ladoubanjiang (spicy), Right: Doubanjiang (non-spicy)

With that, the recipe is just about frying up the aromatics like ginger and garlic, ground meat with the right amount of seasonings. Heat it up until the sauce starts bubbling, then add the tofu and coat the mixture together until the flavors infuse. Now you have a one reliably satisfying rice bowl dish for the family. I hope you enjoy my Japanese Mapo Tofu!

Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu 麻婆豆腐) | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

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Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu)
Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu 麻婆豆腐) | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com
Print
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch ginger (1 inch = 2.5 cm)
  • 2 green onions/scallions
  • 14 oz silken tofu (14 oz = 396 g)
  • 1 Tbsp neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
  • ½ lb ground pork (1/2 lb = 227 g) (or any other meat/veggies of your choice)
Seasonings
Instructions

  1. Gather all the ingredients.

    Mapo Tofu Ingredients
  2. Combine all the ingredients for Seasonings (2 ½ Tbsp. Chili Bean Sauce and/or Broad Bean Paste, 2 Tbsp. mirin, 1 Tbsp. miso, 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce, ½ Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. corn starch, 4 Tbsp. water) in a bowl and mix well together.
    Mapo Tofu 1
  3. Mince the garlic cloves and ginger finely.
    Mapo Tofu 2
  4. Cut the green onions into small pieces. Drain the tofu and cut into about 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes.
    Mapo Tofu 3
  5. In a large frying pan, heat vegetable oil on medium heat and saute garlic and ginger. Make sure you don't burn them. Once they are fragrant, add the ground pork and break it up with a spatula or wooden spoon.
    Mapo Tofu 4
  6. When the meat is no longer pink, add the Seasoning mixture and stir thoroughly.
    Mapo Tofu 5
  7. Once the sauce is back to boiling, add the tofu and gently coat the tofu with the sauce. Stir frequently, without mashing up the tofu, until it is heated through. Add the green onions and mix just before taking the pan off the heat. Serve immediately.
    Mapo Tofu 6
Recipe Notes

I use 1 ½ Tbsp. Doubanjiang and 1 Tbsp. Ladoubanjigang. 

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

Editor’s Note: The post was originally published in January 29, 2011.  The video and new pictures were added to the post in May 2016.  No change for the recipe.

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    • Hi Doug! Thank you for checking my recipe. 🙂 Okay I’m glad I’m not destroying authenticity of Chinese food. My kids and I don’t eat spicy food, so actually that’s what my husband do after I remove some food away for me and the kids. Your dinner sounds really yummy!

      4
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  3. Morgan

    Hi Nami! I saw this recipe on the Just One Cookbook Facebook page and just had to give it a try. I’m cooking it for dinner tonight (with chicken mince instead of pork, and without miso because our local supermarket had run out) – it smells great! I can’t wait to eat ^o^

    5
    Reply to Morgan'> Reply

    • Hi Morgan! Thank you for trying this recipe! I used to cook without miso but I realized miso actually gives amazing flavor. Hope you will like this recipe and will try again with miso next time! Thank you very much for your feedback! 🙂

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      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  5. Aleks

    Another amazing recipe, thank you for sharing it!
    I wanted to try making my own mapo tofu for a while now. Do you think I could substitute the oyster souce with anything vegetarian friendly?

    8
    Reply to Aleks'> Reply

  6. Judd

    My son and I are trying to at healthier, and he loves Asian food with some heat. I can’t wait to try this recipe. He has been wanting me to cook this for a long time. He heard about it from a friend!

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    Reply to Judd'> Reply

  9. dani

    Love the sauce and flavor… Just have to fiddle around with tofu textures. The version of this dish that made me think tofu isn’t so bad was firmer and I think deep fried…

    ^_^ Thanks for always having good recipes.

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    Reply to dani'> Reply

  11. Edwin Taniguchi

    Would like to know if it is possible to use the spicy hot Korean “gochujang” paste which I already have a
    partially used jar as a substitute for “doubanjiang” sauce to try making your Mapo Tofu recipe.
    If possible, would like to know how I can properly dilute and incorporate “gochujang” paste to simulate using the “doubanjiang” sauce? Thank you in advance for your guidance and expertise.

    23
    Reply to Edwin Taniguchi'> Reply

    • Hi Edwin! Gochujang and Tobanjiang is a bit different flavor…. but if you’re not aiming for the Chinese/Japanese Mapo Tofu recipe, I think that’ll be okay? I think Korean food must have similar recipe to this Japanese/Chinese mapo tofu using gochujang? But I’ve never used Gochujang for this recipe, so I am not sure how much amount should be added to make the food that tastes good. The texture wise, it’s very similar, so you can add in just like tobanjiang. I’m not sure how we need to adjust the flavor though without experimenting… Sorry I can’t help much. Try it out and let me know. I’m sure it tastes good with gochujang! 🙂

      24
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  13. Kim

    Another amazing recipe from Nami! I have been missing foods that my host mom made for me when I lived in Japan many (MANY!) years ago. I made oyakodon a few night ago and mapdofu tonight for my family. Every time I make one of your recipes, I am back in Japan and remembering meals with my Japanese friends. Thank you for all your recipes that never disappoint. I’ve tried many recipes over the past year and wanted to leave a comment. Greeting from this “gaijin” in Southern California. 🙂

    27
    Reply to Kim'> Reply

    • Hi Kim! Thank you so much for writing. I am very happy to hear you enjoy my blog and tried out many of my recipes! Thank you! Hope my recipes will continue to bring you some wonderful memories from your stay in Japan. 🙂

      28
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  16. Olivier

    Be blessed for posting this! My favorite Japanese dish is now at my fingertips. Next time okonomiaki! A 1000 thanks to you and your team for all this work. Merci so much!
    Cheers from FR

    33
    Reply to Olivier'> Reply

  17. Libby Lizarraga

    Thanks for the great recipes! I am fan from your blog.

    Yesterday, I tried this recipe but I have to add more water because it was not running the sauce. What was wrong? Because I have to modified the other ingredientes to keep the nice flavour that mapo tofu has it.

    Grettings from Holland,

    Libby

    35
    Reply to Libby Lizarraga'> Reply

    • Hi Libby! Thank you so much for following my blog and trying my recipe! Usually it should have enough liquid to go around, but if not, you can add water a little bit. You don’t want it to be soupy (unless that’s what you prefer) as we usually pour over rice. Hope you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂

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      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  18. Anne

    Hi Nami!
    Thanks for this great recipe. I’ve made it before, and I really liked it. I was given some eggplant and I was wondering, do you ever make Mabo Nasu? If so, would you have any recommendations for adapting this recipe? Thanks so much as always!

    Best,
    Anne

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    Reply to Anne'> Reply

    • Hi Anne! I’m so sorry for my late response. You can dedninfely adapt, for Mapo Nasu (eggplant) recipe, we use more miso and toban jiang / tien mien jang. And no starch. Hope this helps! 🙂

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      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  19. Darlene

    Hi Nami,
    This is the first time I made mapo tofu from scratch and it was really good. I actually had a craving for mapo tofu but did not want to buy the boxed mix because of they are spicy. I used a chinese fermented cubes of soybean paste (which I had in my refrigerator) instead of doubanjiang. It still has that salty taste. Thanks again. Darlene

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    Reply to Darlene'> Reply

  20. I love your recipe but have to make it without the Doubanjiang because I can’t get my hand on some… I asked in our asian grocery store but they, strangely, seemed clueless to direct me to one without chili. And they had TONS of bean pastes.

    41
    Reply to Nolwenn'> Reply

    • Hi Diane! Japanese are in general more concerned about salt than fat or sugar content. I’m not an expert in nutrition or health, so I can only talk about how I deal with it, and it’s not a professional advice so you probably should ask someone else (like your doctor, if you have any issue).

      We don’t season the meal as much as other cuisine does. It’s very important to taste the actual ingredient itself, so we don’t put too much soy sauce etc. I know a lot of Japanese restaurants serve more seasoned food, maybe because customers prefer strong flavor, but it’s not traditional way.

      So at home, we don’t season a lot. If it’s for bento (Japanese lunch box), which we eat at room temperature, we season a little bit extra because it tastes better that way at room temp. Other than that, ingredient should have taste when you eat.

      Japanese food uses a lot of condiments and ingredients that are naturally high in salt, like miso and soy sauce due to fermentation process. But again, we use these everyday in our cooking and we do our best to season just enough. I hope this helps…

      44
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  22. Rids

    Nami I’m quite new to cooking, especially cooking meat since I grew up vegetarian. How do I know when the minced pork is fully cooked without it being overcooked? Thank you!!

    45
    Reply to Rids'> Reply

    • Hi Rids! Pork is very easy to tell. If the meat color is no longer pink, it’s cooked. Minced meat is very easy to cook through as each piece is very small and heat goes through fast. Pork will turn firmer and white (pale?) color. Break the meat with wooden spoon so it cooks faster and at equal rate as other pieces. Don’t worry about overcooking it. I made a video and I hope to share it soon so you can check it out. 🙂

      46
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

    • Hi NJ! So sorry for my late response. You don’t have to use chili bean sauce (Ladoubanjiang) but you will still need broad bean sauce (doubanjiang).

      If you go to an Asian store, most of “doubanjiang” may include chili already (you can tell the color is more red than dark brown). If the store carries authentic Chinese products, they should carry the one I use – doubanjiang without chlili in it. That’s what you will need to use for non-spicy version. I used to use 100% of that when kids were small, but now I do half and half. Hope this helps!

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      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  25. Marlene Steinberg

    I LOVE Mabo! First time I had it was over ramen and the pork mixture had a sweet taste. Wondering if the sweet pork was the addition of 5-Spice and what would I do to spice it up a bit?

    How did your changes of the 1 ½ Tbsp. Doubanjiang and 1 Tbsp. Ladoubanjigang change the taste?

    Can’t wait to make it! Guess I’ll add a little stock to the ramen and top it with the Mabo Tofu!

    49
    Reply to Marlene Steinberg'> Reply

    • Hi Marlene! I’ve seen that before, but haven’t had a chance to try yet. I would love that… 🙂 To spice up, you’ll need to add chili bean sauce. In Japan, most likely, sugar is added to the mabo dofu sauce, especially if you taste sweetness in the sauce.

      Adding more Ladoubanjiang simply adds spice to the sauce.

      Hope you enjoy making your homemade Mapo Tofu Ramen!!!

      60
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  33. natsu

    Oh I never tried mapo tofu with miso ! I shall try it next time.
    I have a question about the meat, have you tried it with ground beef instead ? If so which one do you like the most as for the taste ?
    I’m pretty much sure I only ate it with beef so far even at restaurants, so I was curious as we rarely use ground pork here.

    Also, do you have recommendation on how to preserve ladoubanjiang ? Last time I bought some, I had to throw it after one week cause there was mold all over inside… Even though I always try to use clean spoons and not to mix with other ingredients… I want to buy bigger jar but I’m afraid I’ll have to throw it after using only half of it ^^’

    57
    Reply to natsu'> Reply

    • Hi Natsu! I grew up eating mapo tofu with pork, so I actually never cooked with beef before. Though traditionally both beef and pork seem to be used in the original Chinese version and I just checked my Chinese blogger friends’ mapo tofu recipes and they make it with pork more than beef.

      My husband originally from Taiwan said it is usually pork in Taiwan as many people don’t eat beef in Taiwan. I think it comes to people’s preference.

      As for ladoubanjiang, you keep it in the fridge right? I do use clean spoon every time and store in the fridge and I don’t have that issue before. That’s pretty much what you can do, I think. Also, put it in the back of fridge as front area (like door) tends to be warmer as you open the door frequently. Hope this helps!

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      Reply to Nami'> Reply

    • Hi Uraniabce! I usually use awase miso (which means a combination of white and red miso) or Koji miso (more koji inside). But this works with any type – and it’s really a personal preference when it comes to miso. I like miso soup (which I drink almost everyday) with awase miso or koji miso than red or white. Hope this helps!

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      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  36. Leo Döhl

    I just made the Mapo Tofu today. SO simple and fast, and more importantly, very delicious! I’m not surprised it’s a favorite in your family!

    For the spicy version I actually used Korean Chilli Bean Paste – I had these from the Vegetable Ramen I made a few times already in February. Definitely worked equivalently to the Chilli Bean suggested.

    Picture of my bowl will come soon on Facebook, as I usually do – just not in a regular basis but at least 2-weeks to 1-month basis (I really can’t fit time to do everything I do with hobbies on a set routine – need better time management! 😉 )

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    Reply to Leo Döhl'> Reply

    • Hi Leo! Thank you for trying this recipe! Yeah, it’s really quick recipe and I love that my family likes this recipe (easy work for me!). 🙂

      Glad to hear you liked it with Gochujang. I’ve never tried it for mapo tofu but it’s fermented so I see how it can be substituted.

      Look forward to reading your FB post! I know, I barely go on Facebook (personal one)…

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  40. CK

    This recipe saved me from the brutal withdrawl of moving back to the US from Yokohama. We ate at Ban Rai Tei in Chinatown at least twice a month because of a wonderful addiction to their Mapo. We were sorely missing it this winter until I decided to give yours a try and, Nami, you are my hero! I can’t wait to dive in to my (now 4th) batch of it in the last month. Once again I can’t thank you enough for blogging your cooking recipes.

    77
    Reply to CK'> Reply

    • Hi CK! Aww! I am so happy to hear that! We love this recipe and I make it pretty frequently. I never change a thing, as we really like the flavors. 🙂 So glad you like it too! I’ve never been to Ban Rai Tei. I have to remember to go there next time when I am in Chinatown! I miss Yokohama too… 🙂

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      Reply to Nami'> Reply

    • Hi Gwen! I’m happy to hear you want to try this recipe. Hope you’ll enjoy it. Serving with vegetables sounds wonderful. Today some JOC reader told me she served it with cauliflower rice and loved it. 🙂

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  42. Anna

    HI Nami, I made your recipe for dinner tonight (for the second time) and my family enjoyed it very much. Easy steps for a weeknight meal, but so flavorful and delicious! I did have a question about one step in the recipe. After I cooked the pork, I noticed there was quite a bit of oil and liquid in the pan. I drained it before adding the sauce, but do you keep it in? Also are there any side dishes that go well with this bowl meal? I served Asparagus tonight, but wondered if there was something else that goes well… Thank you so much for your website! Love the videos and photos, too.

    81
    Reply to Anna'> Reply

    • Hi Anna! I’m so happy to hear you tried this recipe and your family enjoyed it! Thanks so much for your kind feedback! Depends on how fat the pork is too. I use 75% so it’s pretty oily for me, but I don’t remove the liquid as it’s part of deliciousness. But if you want to keep it healthy, then you can use kitchen towel to absorb and toss. As for side dishes, since it has meat and tofu, I usually serve stir fried veggies or salad on the side. Nothing fancy… salad, if I can make it ahead of time, and stir fry veggies if I have no time and have to cook two dishes at the same time. 🙂 Hope that helps!

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  44. Bastien

    Thx Nami!

    Seems amazing! Going to try this next week :-).

    Are you also doing “grilled” tofu? By grilled I mean some sort of slightly breaded tofu cubes (texture was a little hard outside and mellow (standard for tofu) inside). The mother of one of my friends who is Cambodian was doing this and it was excellent but I can’t find a recipe to reproduce it :-(.

    Have a nice weekend!

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  45. Treena

    I love this recipe! It’s very delicious.
    I previously saw tip elsewhere to poach the tofu before adding to the recipe. It’s a fabulous tip that goes with this very delicious recipe. This is now one of my regular recipes. Thank you Nami!

    87
    Reply to Treena'> Reply

    • Hi K. Dillon! Sure, you can. Eggplant absorbs lots of oil, so keep that in mind. You might want to cook the eggplant first take it out, cook the meat, and add the eggplant back in. So you won’t be stir frying eggplant for a long time and break the eggplant texture… 🙂

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  47. Joe Herman

    This is a delicious recipe. I’ve tried it with only Doubanjiang and only Ladoubanjiang, and the ldoubanjiang is definitely spicy, in a slow burn way. A mix of both works well, as you suggested, though just Doubanjiang was nice when I didn’t want this to be spicy. The cheap supermarket Mirin I have has a lot of salt, so the dish wound up being too salty. I modified this recipe to use Chinese Rice Cooking wine and 1 tsp of sugar and it worked well. I suspect I could have kept the mirin and dropped the soy sauce as well.

    91
    Reply to Joe Herman'> Reply

    • Hi Joe! Thank you for your kind words! We started with doubanjiang as my kids couldn’t eat any spice (and me too). After being exposed to some spice, we are now okay with half and half. Only problem for me is that I tend to eat more rice to recover from the burn. 🙂

      Yeah, I prefer not to use those mirin-like condiment too. I think it’s best with your method than dropping soy sauce. Also, depends on the miso brand and miso type, salt content is VERY different. Always tricky to include miso as it varies so much. 🙂

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  50. Emy

    I’m looking forward to having this tomorrow, looks lovely.
    I could only find the chilli bean paste in the store, I suppose it’s fine to make this using only that one?

    99
    Reply to Emy'> Reply

    • Hi Alice! They are very different. The brand I use is from Taiwan, I think, but can you find 豆板醤 without chili in it (so it’s not red, more brown)? I’m sure you can find the spicy version chili bean paste 豆板醤 in Singapore to make Chinese dishes. 🙂

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  52. beansie15

    Hi! I just tried this recipe but with what I had on hand and it turned out great! I used LKK Black Bean Garlic Sauce and LKK Chili Garlic Sauce. I am surprised to see miso in the seasoning! I’ll have to buy some and the LKK Chili Bean Paste and try this again. So much more satisfying than buying the Cook Do packets. Thanks Nami!

    104
    Reply to beansie15'> Reply

    • I used to use Cook Do packets back in college days, but this homemade recipe is far better than those convenient packages. The effort is almost same as package one, so it’s so worth making it from scratch! Thank you for trying this recipe! 🙂

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