Japanese-style Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu) is incredibly flavorful but a lot less spicy than the original Sichuan dish. This is a family-friendly recipe that children will enjoy, too. It‘s a delicious yet simple weeknight meal that‘s ready in just 30 minutes!
Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) is easily one of our family’s favorite meals! It is so simple to make yet incredibly soul-satisfying. I love making the dish on a hectic weeknight when 30 minutes is all that I could spare to cook dinner for the family.
We often eat mapo tofu donburi-style, with the tofu-and-sauce mixture over fluffy steamed rice. Yes, who doesn’t like a one-bowl meal for easy cleanup! I think you and your family are going to enjoy it.
Table of Contents
What is Mapo Tofu?
Mapo tofu is a popular Chinese dish from Sichuan province known for its fiery bright red sauce. The classic recipe is made with simmered silken tofu flavored with ground pork or beef, fermented bean paste (douban and douchi), chili oil, and Sichuan peppercorns. The dish is spicy, aromatic, deeply flavorful, and has a unique numbing character imparted from the Sichuan peppercorns.
While the Sichuan-style mapo tofu is known for its boldness and intensity, the Japanese version has a milder character as it has been adapted to the Japanese palate. Nevertheless, Japanese mapo tofu is still packed with lots of umami— thanks to the layering of flavors. Also, the spice level is tamed. If you’re looking for a not-spicy mapo tofu, this recipe is for you!
I’d say Japanese mapo tofu is ideal for anyone who is spice adverse and even your kids will devour 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 Chef Chen in my previous post here. He was the culinary hero that brought many popular Chinese dishes to the Chinese restaurants in Japan.
Thanks to Chef Chen, you’ll find a number of famous Chinese dishes such as mapo tofu, ebi chili (chili prawns エビチリ), and beef and bell pepper stir-fry (chin-jao ro-su 青椒肉絲) in Japan.
These dishes have been enjoyed in Japanese households for almost half a century! In Japanese grocery stores, you can find a whole array of convenient ready-to-eat sauces for these popular dishes. I remember seeing these packages in my mom’s kitchen pantry too.
Difference between Chinese and Japanese Mapo Tofu
There are many versions of mabo dofu within Japan and each household cooks it differently.
So what ingredients do we use in the Japanese mabo tofu that are not included in the original Chinese mapo tofu? The majority of mabo dofu in Japan includes miso, mirin or sugar, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and occasionally sake.
Most distinctly, Japanese mabo dofu doesn’t include any chili or Sichuan peppercorn. The only “spicy” element comes from doubanjiang, spicy bean paste. However, if you can find a Taiwanese brand of doubanjiang, you can buy a non-spicy doubanjiang (豆瓣酱) or spicy doubanjiang (辣豆瓣酱) with red chili in it. More about it in the next section.
Ingredients in This Mapo Tofu Recipe
Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
- Ground pork – turkey, chicken, or beef can be used (although it’s not common)
- Soft tofu
- Aromatics: Green onions, ginger, garlic
- Condiments: Doubanjiang (spicy/non-spicy broad bean), miso, mirin, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and potato starch (cornstarch)
The Key Ingredient is Doubanjiang
This is truly a simple dish to make. The only caveat is you do need to have chili bean paste called doubanjiang (豆瓣酱).
Doubanjiang is a combination of fermented broad beans as the main ingredient, soybeans, and often hot chilies. The salty, savory, umami-rich paste adds an incredible depth and character to mapo tofu that you should not substitute.
Non-Spicy Doubanjiang: Did you know that there is NON-SPICY doubanjiang? Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Guandong in China have non-spicy doubanjiang. It has the same savory depth in the paste, but without the heat. To distinguish the two versions, the Sichuan doubanjiang is called la-doubanjiang (辣豆瓣醬, “la” (辣) meaning ‘hot’ or ‘spicy’).
When the kids were small, I used only non-spicy doubanjiang to make my mapo tofu. Taiwanese brands like Kangshan (岡山) (above) and Ming Teh (明德) offer the doubanjiang made from fermented broad beans and soybeans, as well as the spicy version with chili.
You can get these Taiwanese brands at local Asian markets. Amazon does not sell the non-spicy doubanjiang at this time (please let me know if you find one).
- Ming Teh Doubanjiang (non-spicy) – Yummy Bazaar
- Kangshan Doubanjiang (non-spicy) – Walmart
- Kangshan Doubanjiang (non-spicy) – Weee!
Doubanjiang Substitute: If you really can’t find doubanjiang, you can use gochujang (Korean chili paste; spicy) or doenjang (Korean soybean paste; non-spicy). However, the ingredients are slightly different and have different flavor profiles.
The Best Tofu for Mapo Tofu Recipe
There are many different types of tofu available, but I recommend using soft tofu for the best texture. Soft tofu is smooth, soft, and creamy, which pairs beautifully with the savory sauce and ground meat. It works best for both Japanese-style mabo dofu and the authentic Sichuan mapo tofu.
How to Make Mapo Tofu
Mapo tofu is a very easy dish and my son can make it by himself. This was one of the first few recipes he learned to cook over the summer break one year. He loves this dish so much and wanted to be able to cook it on his own. Here’s the overview.
- Prepare all the ingredients.
- Cook the aromatics and ground pork in a frying pan or wok.
- Add the sauce ingredients and let it simmer until the sauce starts bubbling.
- Add the tofu and coat it with the sauce until the flavors infuse.
- Serve on its own or with steamed rice!
Now you have one reliably satisfying dish for the family. I hope you enjoy my Japanese Mapo Tofu recipe!
5 Cooking Tips on Making Mapo Tofu
- Measure and cut all the ingredients before cooking.
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Drain the tofu ahead of time, if you can spare 15 minutes ahead of time. This prevents tofu from releasing moisture into the mapo tofu sauce.
- Don’t burn the garlic and ginger when stir-frying. You don’t want to add a burnt bitter taste to the sauce.
- Carefully stir the tofu: Tofu can easily break and becomes mushy. You should shake the pan to coat the tofu with the sauce and less spatula action.
FAQs
Q: Can I use this recipe to make vegan or vegetarian mapo tofu?
Yes! Use finely diced shiitake mushrooms in place of the ground pork. Both fresh and dried mushrooms would work. And use vegetarian stir-fry sauce.
Q: Can I use another kind of ground meat instead of pork?
Sure, you can use ground chicken or turkey. Ground beef will have a stronger flavor, but it should be fine.
Q: Can I adjust the spice level?
You can cut down on doubanjiang (spicy bean paste) or use the Taiwanese non-spicy doubanjiang I mentioned earlier. If you like it slightly spicier, sprinkle la-yu (Japanese chili oil).
More Delicious Tofu Recipes
- Pan-Fried Teriyaki Tofu Bowl
- Japanese-style Tofu Pizza
- Agedashi Tofu
- Japanese Chilled Tofu
- Vegetarian Udon with Tofu
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Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu)
Video
Ingredients
For the Seasonings
- 2½ Tbsp doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste) (for less spicy, substitute 1½ Tbsp doubanjiang (non-spicy) and 1 Tbsp la doubanjiang (spicy); use gluten-free doubanjiang for GF)
- 2 Tbsp mirin
- 1 Tbsp miso
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch
- 4 Tbsp water
For the Mapo Tofu
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp ginger (minced)
- 2 green onions/scallions
- 14 oz soft/silken tofu (kinugoshi dofu)
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
- ½ lb ground pork (or your choice of meat and veggies)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Combine all the ingredients for the seasonings (2½ Tbsp doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste), 2 Tbsp mirin, 1 Tbsp miso, 1 Tbsp oyster sauce, ½ Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch, and 4 Tbsp water) in a bowl and mix well together.
- Finely mince 2 cloves garlic. Mince the ginger and measure 1 Tbsp ginger.
- Cut 2 green onions/scallions into small pieces. Drain 14 oz soft/silken tofu (kinugoshi dofu) and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes.
To Cook the Mapo Tofu
- Heat a large frying pan on medium heat. When it‘s hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and sauté in the oil (make sure they don‘t burn). Once they are fragrant, add ½ lb ground pork and break it up with a spatula or wooden spoon.
- When the meat is no longer pink, add the seasonings mixture and stir thoroughly. Bring the sauce to a boil.
- Once the sauce is boiling, add the tofu and gently coat it with the sauce. Stir frequently, without mashing the tofu, until it is heated through. Add the green onions and stir to incorporate just before taking the pan off the heat.
To Serve
- Serve immediately. Enjoy Mapo Tofu over steamed rice as a one-bowl meal.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on January 29, 2011. The video and new pictures were added to the post on May 6, 2016, without any change to the recipe. The post has been republished with more content on May 25, 2022.
Hi Nami, I have been eating Mabo Dofu for years, but always made by my husband or I would buy a box with the pre-made sauce. Today, thanks to your recipe, I made it from scratch and everyone in my family loved it!
Thank you! I will make it again and again 🙂
Love this!!! I didn’t realize it is so easy to make. What do you recommend to substitute miso? I will try to make it again with a larger batch but i don’t have enough miso. Please let me know. Thank you!
Hi agnes! We are glad to hear you enjoyed Nami’s recipe!
There is no appropriate substitute for miso. The Flavor will be different but you may add non-spicy doubanjiang (豆板醤) if you like.
We hope this helps!
This is the classic recipe Shanghai style mapo tofu, minus the Mirin (we use Michiu rice wine or Shaoshing for more savory effect as Mirin is sweet). We don’t use miso, either. As mapo tofu is a Chinese dish I gather the Japanese adopted this recipe during trade interactions with Shanghai.
Hi Vivian! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and for your input!
We hope you enjoy Japanese Mapo Tofu as much as we do. Happy Cooking!🤗
Are these measurements correct? I used 2.5 Tablespoons of Youki brand doubanjiang (シセントウバンジャン) and it was HOT! Hotter even than mapo tofu I’ve had from a Chinese restaurant. And it was very red in color. My wife always uses the pre-packaged sauce but I like to try to make things from scratch.
Hi Jon! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
The amount used in this recipe is correct. However, the level of spiciness varies depending on the brand.
This is the one Nami used in the recipe. We hope this helps!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/doubanjiang-chili-bean-paste/
Please feel free to adjust the amount to your preference, and we hope you enjoy the homemade flavor!
Hello from France !
I will try this recipe this week. Do you have any recommendation of vegetable side dish to go with this mapo tofu ?
Hello, Lysiane. Thank you so much for taking the time to read Nami’s post and try her recipe!
This dish can be served with any green vegetable side dish. What about these?
https://www.justonecookbook.com/spinach-ohitashi-japanese-spinach-salad-with-bonito-flakes/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/simmered-fried-tofu-and-greens/
We hope this helps!
The flavor profile is right on, but it needs far more water, I used 1.5 cups of Trader Joes Ginger/Miso broth in place of the water and the flavor was excellent. I also swapped out the silken for firm tofu, but rinsed several times with boiling water (Kenji Lopez Alt hack). This results in an attractive texture and good flavor.
Hi Colin! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us.
We are glad to hear your Mapo Tofu turned out great! Happy Cooking!
Hi Nami, my family loves your recipes and I’ve been making the Mapo Tofu for a couple of years now with great success. However, the last two times it turned out to be too salty due to the Miso paste I used. I used the Hikari Organic White Miso. The quantity used was 2 tbsp as I made double the original recipe.
The saltiness was too much even with plain white rice 🙁
Is there a low-salt Miso paste that you recommend?
Hi Aditi! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! The brand and type of miso vary in salt content, so it’s important to remember to adjust whenever you change the brand/type of miso.
Having said that, did you also double the recipe for meat and tofu? Some tofu contains more moisture than others (depending on firmness – silken tofu contains more moisture than firmer tofu), which helps dilute the sauce and such. A lot of factors play here but in general, check the saltiness of the miso (when you open the new package of miso and play around with portions), maybe x1.5 the sauce might work on some dishes, especially when it’s a saucy dish.
There is low sodium miso too (see below), but I don’t generally use it because I would end up using more miso, which may end up. with more sodium content… Hope this helps!
https://hikarimiso.com/products/enjuku-koji-miso-reduced-sodium/
I too doubled the recipe and it turned out so incredibly salty it was barely palatable. I had to add a ton of water, added an extra block of soft tofu, added sugar and sesame oil to try and salvage it. Maybe something about doubling the recipe made it not work? Everything else I’ve tried from here has been great, so I’m puzzled why this one was so off. I hope you can rework the recipe or add recommendations for what to do when doubling the recipe because I love Japanese style Mapo Tofu! Thank you and please keep up the great work.
Hi Julie! In general, when you double the recipe, it’s recommended to double vegetables and meat, but for the seasoning, it should be multiply by 1.5, instead of 2.
Here I found an article talking about it: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-double-recipes/. Maybe you can find other articles online about it. 🙂
Unfortunately, the recipe plugin is not smart enough to figure out x2, x3 just for the ingredients… but it’s good to remember to x 1.5 for seasonings and spices and this works for me.
This is one of my favourite go to recipes. I cook it with ground pork exactly as the recipe states and it is delicious. My family were visiting me from Australia this year and they asked me to cook it for them twice. Thank you for all of your great recipes.
Hi Carol! Aww. 🥰 Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback.
We are so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed homemade Mapo Tofu. Happy Cooking!
Hello, I make this recipe a lot, thank you for putting it out there.
I was wondering, could I make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate it for a few days before using it? We’re cooking for some friends on a trip and I didn’t want to lug half our seasonings and sauces with us.
Thank you!
Hi, Jenna! Thank you for your kind words about Nami’s recipe!
Yes. You can make the sauce ahead of time and reheat it before adding the Tofu. The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to a month. We hope this was helpful!
Absolutely delicious and super easy to make! This year as part of my New Years Resolution, I’ve decided to make a new Japanese dish every month. This was my first recipe, and it was such a success. Reminded me of the recipe my Baba makes. Thank you!
Hello, Amanda! Wow!🤩 What a brilliant idea! We are thrilled to be a part of your adventure.
We hope you find a lot of recipes that remind you of your grandmother! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind comments.
I wanted to say that this is one of my favorite recipes! It’s so easy to make and doesn’t take long at all, but the final product is absolutely delicious.
Hi HRE! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Happy Cooking!😊