The Japanese-style Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu) is incredibly flavorful but less spicy than the Sichuan-style. A delicious meal ready in 30 minutes that even children can enjoy!
Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) is Mr. JOC’s all-time favorite dish, and it frequently makes it into my dinner menu rotation.
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 often eat Mapo Tofu as a donburi-style, one-bowl meal for easy cleanup! This is a great hearty dish to please everyone in the family.
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.
Introduction of Mapo Tofu to Japan
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 the 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 convenient ready-to-eat sauces for these popular dishes. I remember the packages were in my mom’s kitchen pantry too!
Watch How To Make Mapo Tofu
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 la doubanjiang as the latter includes chili.
The Key Ingredients for Making 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.
Amazon does not sell the non-spicy version, but you can buy it on Asian Food Grocer.
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!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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The Japanese-style Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu) is incredibly flavorful but less spicy than the Sichuan-style. A delicious meal ready in 30 minutes that even children can enjoy!
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger (2.5 cm)
- 2 green onions/scallions
- 14 oz silken/soft tofu (396 g)
- 1 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
- ½ lb ground pork (227 g; or any other meat/veggies of your choice)
- 2 ½ Tbsp Doubanjiang (spicy chili bean sauce/broad bean paste) I use 1 ½ Tbsp Doubanjiang (non-spicy) and 1 Tbsp Ladoubanjigang (spicy). You can buy the non-spicy one from this shop online.
- 2 Tbsp mirin
- 1 Tbsp miso
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil (roasted)
- 1 tsp potato starch/cornstarch
- 4 Tbsp water
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Gather all the ingredients.
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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.
- Mince the garlic cloves and ginger finely.
- Cut the green onions into small pieces. Drain the tofu and cut into about 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes.
- 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.
- When the meat is no longer pink, add the Seasoning mixture and stir thoroughly.
- 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.
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.
Sorry, what is Tobanjan? And can you replace it with anything if it is not available? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Valerie! Doubanjiang (豆板醤) is the key condiments for Mapo Tofu and you can find it in Asian markets.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/doubanjiang-chili-bean-paste/
Hi Nami….your MaPo tofu is not so different from the one I have been doing for so many years. I just add more chilli pepper to it. Hah! Tonight we are having a macaroni cauliflower & cheese dish.
Cheers,
Doug in BC
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!
Hi Nami!
I want to try this for my kids it looks so good and not spicy! I only have dashi iri miso paste. Would you recommend reducing soy or oyster sauce levels if I use this? Or should I leave the miso out? I have everything else! Thanks!
Hi Cindy! Miso is kind of important in this dish – how about reducing oyster sauce a bit – it’s quite salty so you can definitely cut down. Were you able to find non-spicy Doubanjiang? My kids grew up eating non-spicy Doubanjiang and slowly introduce the spicy one and now I use half and half. 🙂
Thanks for your reply Nami! Yes I had all the other ingredients! It was definitely a bit salty even though I only used half the dashi iri miso! Next time I’ll use your suggestion and put in the miso but half or 1/4 the oyster sauce! Thank you! The kids thought it was a tiny bit spicy so I’ll cut that down too and put more non-spicy doubanjan until they get older. I thought it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Cindy! Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂
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^
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! 🙂
How did i miss this post :/ Looks so good..i want this today, but making thai curry for one more rainy day! 🙂
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?
Hi Aleks, I’ve used ‘Mushroom Stir Fry sauce’ as a substitute for oyster sauce to great success. It is the same consistency and has a similar taste (maybe not quite as sweet) but is vegetarian. The brand I use is Lee Kum Kee who is a major manufacturer of sauces including oyster sauce. Look for the mushroom sauce in the same place you’d find the oyster sauce.
Hi Aleks! Thanks for your question. A very kind and generous reader, Art, responded to your question before me.
Thank you so much for answering, Art! I wouldn’t have known without your comment. I really appreciate it!
Thank you so much! I will definitely have a look for that on my next shopping 😀
Thanks Aleks, good luck!
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!
Hi Judd! Hope you and your son enjoyed this dish. This is one of my family’s favorite dish, and we always eat extra rice with this. Thanks for trying this recipe. 🙂
Thanks this recipe was great!
Yay! Thanks for letting me know Doug! I’m happy to hear you liked it! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband LOVES Mapo Tofu!!
Hi Christina! You’re welcome! Hope your husband likes this one. This is my husband’s favorite food! 🙂
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.
Hi Dani! Thank you for trying this recipe! 🙂
Hey Nami! One of the pictures got tacked onto the list of sauce ingredients so it’s not showing up correctly. I’ll be trying this recipe this week!
Thank you so much Tiffany! Got it fixed. 🙂 Hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
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.
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! 🙂
I was wondering the same thing! I LOVE gochujang! I put it on egg sandwiches with cheese and cilantro. YUMMY!! I really like mapo tofu, so I’m going to have to try the recipe the way it’s written, sans meat. Then I’ll try with the gochujang. See what happens. It will likely take me a long time to do this, but I’ll come back & post what happens!
Keep me posted, Tess! 🙂
I’m really looking forward to making this! But I can’t buy Chili bean paste. Will Chilli paste do instead?
Hi Kayleigh! Well, it’s not the same thing. Chili bean paste is fermented so it has more complex taste while chili paste is to add spice. But it might be the closest thing you may find….
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. 🙂
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. 🙂
Looks so yummy! I’m going to have to try this out!
Hope you enjoy this dish Mary! 🙂
This is SO good. Thanks for dinner Nami!
Stephen!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe – it’s our family’s favorite (and my favorite as it’s easy to cook!). 🙂
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
Hi Olivier! So happy to hear you enjoy this recipe! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! 🙂
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
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! 🙂
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
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! 🙂
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
Hi Darlene! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind words! 🙂
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.
Hi Nolwenn! So sorry for my late response. Here’s what the jar looks like….
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/doubanjiang-chili-bean-paste/
When serving a full japanese meal, how do you combat the salt in all the dishes?
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…
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!!
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. 🙂
Mapo Tofu is one of my favorite dishes! Yours looks mouthwatering.
Cheers,
Rosa
HI Nami, so if I want to make this dish for kids(non spicy) I can omit the laodoubanjang ( spicy) sauce??
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!
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!
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!!!
Unfortunately, such ingredients are a rarity in my country, so I buy them online. I wonder if this would be a good substitute: https://www.japancentre.com/en/products/955-kikkoman-broad-bean-chilli-paste ?
Hi Audrius! SO sorry for my late response. Yes, this is it!!! 🙂
Many thanks! Then I will be ordering it then.
I love this dish! And I do like spicy, so I always make mine spicy. Yours looks terrific — thanks so much.
One of my favourite tofu dishes. I must really make it again soon.
We could never resist ordering mapo tofu whenever we spot it on the menu. This is something I want to try making at home! Looks so yummy, Nami 🙂
Any place online where you can buy doubanjiang?
Thank you!!!
Hi Rikki! You can purchase on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TuWkik (I can only find Ladoubanjiang though). You’ll need to find non-spicy one in Chinese grocery store as it’s usually imported and no English label. Like the one I use shown in my blog post. 🙂
You could use SPAM for this recipe. I bet it would be good and tasty.
Stan Graham
Hi Stan! Ohhh never thought of that! Thank you for sharing the idea with us!
Happy Mother’s Day Nami!
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 ^^’
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!
Hey Nami, what kind of miso do you recommend using? My supermarket stocks 3 different kinds and I’m always puzzled as to which I should buy.
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!
Yes, that is helpful. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen Koji miso, so I’ll try mixing red and white miso myself.
This is one of my favourite Chinese dish and looks like you nailed it like the way I want them
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! 😉 )
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)…
I like the way you film and you cook ! One moment of calm, one moment when one can think. To think about the joy to be alive, about happiness to have some to eat and drink !!
Hi Corinne! Thank you so much for watching my video! I’m happy you like my video! 🙂
Hi I don’t eat ginger. Is it ok to leave that out? Will the taste be different ?thanks
It’s kind of important flavor component BUT if you don’t like the taste, you can omit it. 🙂
Finally gathered all the ingredients for this dish. Wow! So flavorful! I was skeptical about the tofu but it adds a lovely, velvety aspect to the dish. I will definitely make this again!
Hi Nikki! I’m so glad you tried this recipe and thanks so much for your kind feedback! Good tofu is really delicious… I wish I can send tofu from Japan… 😀
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.
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… 🙂
This is another recipe that I will add to my weekly rotation. I love to eat it with raw or steamed vegetables. Thank you Nami for sharing the recipe.
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. 🙂
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.
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!
Delicious! I added pickled Chinese vegetables and 6 ground Sichuan peppercorns and it was as amazing!
Hi Maw! Ohh that sounds delicious! Thank you for trying this recipe! 🙂
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!
Hi Bastien! I hope you enjoy this recipe! You’re probably talking about Agedashi Tofu:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/agedashi-tofu-2/
Hope you enjoy! 🙂
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!
Hi Treena! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m so happy to hear you like it. Thank you for sharing the tip on poaching the tofu! I’ll definitely give it a try! 🙂 xo
I wonder if I can add a little bit of eggplant chopped in this dish too or is it overkill?
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… 🙂
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.
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. 🙂
Hi Nami! Can I use black bean garlic sauce instead of chili bean sauce? Thanks!
Hi Janice! Unfortunately, no, mapo tofu’s main flavor comes from doubanjiang or la doubanjiang (chili bean sauce). Black bean garlic sauce is different, and it’ll taste different. 🙂
Ok, thank you for your reply, I just realized I also have the Lian How brand bean sauce in my pantry! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Cool! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
“mahalo”(thank you)for Mabo tofu reciepy
Mahalo for trying my recipe, Uni!! xoxo
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?
Hi Emy! Sure, as long as you’re okay with spice. 🙂 Mr. JOC will love using only chili bean paste, but it’s a bit too spicy for the kids so I combine the two. 🙂
I guess I will just have to try and see. 🙂 Thanks!
I’m in Singapore and not sure if I’ll be able to find broad bean paste. Can I substitute it with black bean paste instead?
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. 🙂
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!
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! 🙂
Hi, I really love ur recipes. Can I omit the miso in this recipe?
Hi BB! I prefer that it’s in, but if you don’t want to, that’s okay too. I hope it will still taste good. 🙂
Hi, just curious, we don’t need to marinate the meat prior?
Hi Mel! We don’t usually marinate before cooking in Japan, but I’m not fully sure about the original Chinese mapo tofu.
Cooked this last night! It was fantastic – so flavorful, and refreshing with the ginger. Wish I could upload a picture to show you how it turned out! Thanks for this quick/easy/delicious recipe that’ll definitely be a constant in our rotation.
Hi Laura! I’m so happy you enjoyed cooking this recipe! Yeah, sorry I don’t have that function here. Most of JOC friends upload their pictures with hashtag #justonecookbook on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I regularly check these hashtag Thank you for trying my recipe!
Hi Nami,
I know this is an older recipe, but I absolutely love your recipes! I am a huge fan of mapo tofu, and I have enjoyed your recipe the most. I was curious how much of the sauce you include when you add the bean sauce? Or perhaps I’m buying the wrong ingredient! The only ones I can find around me have quite a bit of liquid-y sauce, and every time I debate how much of the sauce vs only bean paste to include.
Thanks so much!
Hi Emi! Thank you so much for using my recipes! Mr. JOC and our son LOVES this mapo tofu recipe and I always come to this recipe to make every single mapo tofu I make at home. 🙂
Hm, interesting question. I usually stick my spoon in, and scoop up. I don’t pay too much attention to liquid vs paste itself. I won’t pick up just the liquid, or vice versa. I make sure I pick up enough paste part. Sometimes it is chunkier than normal too. But remember, tofu has so much moisture content that it also dilute the mapo tofu. So it’s not just the sauce, but tofu affects the overall outcome too. 🙂 Sorry I don’t think my response is very helpful…
This is one of my favourite dishes to make 🙂 I always follow your recipe, except I use more meat because of the packaging size, and also more ladoubanjan and soy sauce. Every time I serve this to people they will want seconds.
Hi Aino! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy this recipe! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hello Nami!
I was wondering if you knew how to make Mabo Nasu… I loved this recipe and was happy that my little one loved it. I’m just not sure how to make this recipe with Japanese eggplant. Please let me know! 🙂
Kristin
Hi Kristin! Mabo Nasu in Japan is actually Japanese style, and it’s same sauce as Mabo Tofu. However, this dish in Chinese cuisine is:
https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/yu-xiang-qie-zi-sichuan-eggplant/
And there is no Doubanjiang or pepper involved in Chinese version. Sometimes vinegar or sugar is added.
I’m not sure which version you’re interested… but Japanese version is basically same as Mabo Tofu.
Now, if you want to use my recipe, you can deep fry the eggplants with oil (Suage – no coating, just deep fry) before mixing with the sauce. 🙂
Hope that helps!
Hello! I am really looking forward to trying this meal, and have all the listed ingredients for this recipe, but cannot find Doubanjiang (on Amazon it is $31!). Is there a website you recommend that I can purchase? Or an alternative?
Hi Rachel! I am so sorry for my late response. Assuming that you’re in the US, I found the sauce on Amazon here:
https://amzn.to/2MAjDv3
And much cheaper at Asian Food Grocers:
https://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/asian-food/sauces-seasoning/chinese-sauces/uc-hot-bean-sauce
Let me know if you need help! I’ll be happy to help out!
Thanks Nami! I was hoping to find the non-spicy version, but will try this.
Hey!
Thanks for this recipe! Ihave been doing Mabo Nasu with ground beef for a year now (Tried it with beef, and in France I have never seen ground pork, so this is easier :)). I have a vegetarian friend and was wondering if I could just use tofu instead of the meat? If yes, what kind of tofu? Thanks a lot 🙂
Hello Emmanuelle! How interesting that there is no ground pork sold in France! Yes, you can use tofu – I recommend using firm tofu (but drain well too) or deep-fried tofu (if you can find in an Asian grocery store). You can basically add at the end just to warm up (otherwise tofu can become crumble while stirring). Deep-fried tofu on the other hand won’t break into pieces so you can stir fry. If you can’t find deep-fried tofu, you can oven bake firm tofu first too. 🙂
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I only really got into cooking (real cooking, not just salads!!) a few months ago. Mapo tofu has always been my favourite Chinese dish. I currently live in a small town in Hokkaido, Japan, where I don’t have access to all the variety of ingredients I could buy in Canada. But luckily there’s a small section of an aisle dedicate to Chinese cuisine in the local supermarket. Today, a dream came true! I made mapo tofu for the first time, following this recipe to a T, and it turned out beyond amazing!! I wouldn’t change a thing about it. 🙂 Actually, I did change two minor things: 1. I only used ladoubanjan, which was perfect because I like it spicy. (The bottle’s labeled toubanjan, but I can tell it’s ladoubanjan, coz it’s much redder than the regular toubanjan). 2. I used ‘momen’ tofu, while in the video it looks like ‘kinugoshi’ tofu was used. I don’t think it makes much of a difference at all. It was the perfect, silky, soft texture that I wanted.
Oh, and the miso I used had dashi in it. Nooo problem 🙂
Ah, dang it, I forgot one more thing: I used ‘katakuriko’ (potato starch) instead of corn starch!
Yeah all your variation of ingredients doesn’t make a huge difference. 🙂
Hi Farid! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed my mapo tofu recipe! It’s easy dish to make, so you will enjoy your favorite dish more frequently at home! Thank you for your kind and detailed feedback. xo
Your recipe is quick, easy and delicious. So much healthier and better tasting than the store packaged version. I make this often. Thank you.
Hi Miko! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! My family loves this dish. Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
Hi can I omit the doubanjiang chili bean paste? We dont eat spicy, what alternative i can use? Thank you 😊
Hi Joliza! My kids didn’t eat spicy for a long time (now they can eat more), and I always used non-spicy doubanjiang (see the picture here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/doubanjiang-chili-bean-paste/). Without doubanjiang, I feel like it’s not Mapo Tofu… to keep it authentic you must have doubanjiang taste in the sauce. 🙂
This was so delicious and so easy to prepare! Thank you so much! No more prepackaged sauce for me!
Hi Lisa! I’m so glad you tried this recipe and enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind feedback! Yep, no more packaged sauce! 😀
I live in Honolulu, Hawaii. Where can I get the Doubanjiang ( non-spicy)??
I can’t find in Asian markets that I’ve been to.
Hi Cheryl! Non spicy ones can be found in a Chinese grocery store as I can’t find on Amazon. Check the 岡山 brand (manufacturer is in the Bay Area).
https://www.justonecookbook.com/doubanjiang-chili-bean-paste/
I don’t live in Hawaii, so I’m not familiar with the Chinese stores there.
Oh my gosh this dish was amazing! I made this for dinner following your recipe exactly as written and it was a huge hit in my house. I’ve recently started trying to cook Japanese cuisine and have been loving your website. Thank you for such detailed recipes and for the step by step pictures – I really appreciate that! I’m looking forward to adding this delicious recipe into my week night rotation.
Hi Kate! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my recipes and thank you for your kind words! 🙂
なみ-さん、こんにちは、
This is Helga from Nice,France.I am following your site for a long time now.I am very busy as a flight attendant so I did not have time yet to write to you.Now I have time,as I have to stay home for quite a time because due to a bicycle accident I broke my foot and my arm.
I am into Japanese culture since I started to fly to Japan in 1984 and my Japanese language skills are around JLPTN4 level.
Anyway,my kitchen in Nice looks like yours,maybe a little smaller,but I am like you,
Organized.As I always cook Japanese meals in my free time,I really appreciate your receipies.Most of all,when I cannot get the right ingredients,you explain so well what alternatives I can use.Thank you so much!
You are amazing!
どうもありがとうございます😊
Helga
こんにちは、ヘルガさん！ Thank you so much for following me for a long time! I’m very sorry to hear about your bicycle accident. 🙁 I hope you will get better soon. I’m happy to hear you cook Japanese food in Nice! メッセージどうもありがとう。とてもうれしかったです！
Love all your recipes and hope to visit Japan one day as I have always wanted to visit a place with such exciting cuisine and culture.
In the meantime, I could do double back flips if I could have a knife as sharp and effective as yours. Good tools are a pleasure to use when making great food. It’s your own little theatre workshop.
Hi KADO! Thank you so much for reading my blog! Yes, I hope you get to visit Japan one day too. Having one good knife is all we need. 🙂
Dear Nami!
Our family survives terrible loss: after I learned 4 different mapo sauce dishes, which we all love, out Asian grocery store cancelled selling NON spicy doubanjiang, that very kind, shown on picture. Do any other NON spicy brands exist? I failed to find it online too:(
Will greatly appreciate any suggestion!!!
Thanks!
Hi Asa! Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear you can’t buy this nonspicy doubanjiang anymore. My kids can now take slightly spicier doubanjiang but I still mix both when I make mapo tofu.
I don’t know, except that 岡山 brand factory is in the Bay Area (Fremont, I think?)… I guess you can try different Asian grocery stores… I couldn’t find it online too. 🙁
Very good and simple recipe. I cooked it for the first time, however my local Asian market didn’t have doubanjiang so I went with the spicier alternative and just added additional potato starch and water while trying to reduce it a bit. It came out mild which was perfect for who I was cooking for.
Here it is 🙂 Mapo doufu https://imgur.com/gallery/4RQIoSx
Hi Ken! That looks DELICIOUS! Thanks so much for trying this recipe! 🙂
This is my uncle’s favorite dish! You made it simple enough that I could find and understand the ingredients and realize that it wasn’t too hard to make. I am trying this tonight!! Thank you, I love your website, so easy to use!
Hi Kim! I’m so happy to hear you are trying (tried) to make this dish. I hope you enjoyed this recipe (and one day your uncle too!). 🙂
Thank you Nami, this recipe is great! I made it vegetarian with chopped mushrooms instead of pork and everyone in my family loved it.
Hi Jane! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for substituting the meat to make vegetarian-friendly version with this recipe!
What kind of miso did you use in this recipe?
Thank you
Hi September! I share my favorite miso here that I use in my recipes (unless I specify other kinds): https://www.justonecookbook.com/miso/
I love how you modify a Japanese curry sauce cubes to add extra flavor. What would you do to modify a Mapo Tofu spice pack that you would buy at the store
Hi David! You’re talking about a Cookdo package? I haven’t used it since my college days. Besides adding more aromatics (garlic, ginger, green onions etc), I can’t think of adding extra condiment to that packaged sauce. I can barely remember the taste of the sauce… Sorry!
Just made this for the first time and all I can say is… WOW!!! I’m so glad we found your site. Everything we’ve made from your recipes have been winners.
Hi Brandi! You’re so sweet, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed my recipes! Thank you for your kind feedback!!
not sure what went wrong but unfortunately this recipe as is was way too salty for our family, almost inedible
Hi Julia! Thanks for trying this recipe!
I make this recipe all the time following my own recipe as I can’t remember the exact measurement. I’m very confident to say that this recipe should not be salty if you follow my recipe. As many people have made this recipe in the past, I feel like there was some mismeasurement while you’re working on the recipe. This is also one of the most popular recipes on JOC too. Please try again and carefully measure, and no substitute.
Last time I made this using only ladoubajiang, because I couldn’t find doubanjiang. It came out very salty (still edible with rice). I’m not sure why. Do you have any suggestion to fix this problem?
Hi September! How about reducing the oyster sauce and la doubanjiang next time? Hope that will help! 🙂
I never ate it before I saw from a website(https://www.yumchinesefood.com/mapo-tofu/) which wrote Toufu is good for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, and coronary heart disease. now I like to eat it.
But I’m not sure is it right? Could you please tell me the truth? thanks
Hi Shawn! I’m not an expert in this field, so I’m not too sure. Sorry!
I use to order this in Chinese restaurants in Japan but never made it at home.
Made it the other night and it was wonderful. Another fast, easy, and tasty meal that will be made often.
Thank you Nami!
Hi Bkhuna! I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe! It’s our family’s favorite! Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
Hi Nami,
Your recipe is quick, easy and delicious! Instead of ground pork I use a plant based ground since I am vegetarian. I don’t care for spicy, so I flip the measurements for doubanjiang and miso and it comes out just right for my taste. Thanks for your recipe.
Hi Miko! I’m so happy to hear that you liked this recipe! Thank you for making a vegan version and for your kind feedback. xo
Hi Nami,
2 questions.
I bought Dynasty Brand Black Bean Garlic Sauce – can this be used in place of Toubanjan?
Also, if I wanted to add Japanese eggplant to this recipe, should I just cut it and add it along with the other ingredients? Or is there some prep required beforehand (for the eggplant)?
Hi TK!
1) No, black bean sauce is different. In Japanese cooking, we almost don’t use it (it’s not commonly used in Japanese-style Chinese recipes).
2) First, you shallow fry in oil (nice golden color, almost cook, but remaining heat should cook all the way). Take out, then follow this recipe, and add at the same time as tofu to heat up again. 🙂
If your are a eggplant lover like me, replace tofu with eggplant, sooooo yummy!
Hi Lily! I am! 😀 In Japan, we have another dish called Mabo Nasu. I’ve already finished shooting the recipe, so I’ll post it when I finish writing it. It’s slightly different from this recipe. 🙂
This was great! Better than many restaurant versions! Will make again for sure. Thank you!
Hi Jennifer! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
My Taiwanese husband loves this dish also. Is it freezer friendly?
Hi Kelly! Haha! Glad to hear that! Tofu is not suitable for freezing as the texture changes. Therefore, mapo tofu is one of the dishes that is not a good fit for freezing. If you want to meal prep, you can make the meat sauce separately and freeze. And you can defrost to combine with tofu in the pan to finish cooking… but you can’t freeze mapo tofu. The water released from the tofu also dilute the slurry mixture and it won’t be tasty. 🙂
Dear Nami,
The Mapo Tofu recipe is delicious! My 90-year-old mother really enjoyed it. Thank you for your recipe.
Hi Cynthia! Thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear your 90-year-old mother enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind feedback. Wishing you and your mom good health and happiness!
This was better than restaurant quality and so easy and quick. I made it with ground turkey and I was worried it would be bland, but it was very flavorful. I didn’t have doubanjiang, so I used 2 T black bean paste, 1 t sambal oelek, and 1 t red pepper flakes. The miso paste really gives it an umami quality that makes this mabo dofu better than others. My family loved it! Yum yum.
Hi Cindy! Yay! I’m so glad your family enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for trying it and for your kind feedback. xo