Mapo Tofu with Extra Lean Pork (33g Protein)
Restaurant mapo tofu is silken tofu in a slick of chili oil, which is great eating but thin on protein. Swap in firm tofu and extra lean pork and the same dish lands at 33g of protein per serving for about 320 calories. The doubanjiang does not care which tofu you use. It tastes like mapo either way.
This is a 30 minute dish, and most of that is the tofu sitting in salted water while you brown the pork.
Why this works
Two changes carry the whole recipe. Firm tofu has nearly three times the protein of silken, and a short bath in salted simmering water seasons it through and tightens the surface so the cubes survive the simmer. And because extra lean pork has no fat to render, you brown it hard and undisturbed first. Those crisp edges are where the flavor comes from, not the fat.
Ingredient notes
Doubanjiang is the one ingredient you cannot substitute. Look for a jar labeled broad bean chili paste or Pixian doubanjiang; most Asian grocers and Amazon carry it, and a jar lasts months in the fridge. The fermented black beans are optional but cheap and they add a deep salty funk. Sichuan peppercorns are what make your lips buzz. If you only have whole ones, toast them in a dry pan and crush them with the bottom of a mug. If tofu is your thing, my crispy sambal tofu bowls hit a similar protein number with no meat at all.
Mapo Tofu with Extra Lean Pork
Ingredients
Method
- Bring a pot of well salted water to a bare simmer. Slide the tofu cubes in and let them sit for 3 minutes, then drain gently. This seasons the tofu and firms it up so it holds together in the sauce.
- Heat the oil in a wok or wide pan over high heat. Add the pork and press it flat. Leave it for a minute before breaking it up, then keep frying until the edges brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Lean pork has no fat to render, so the browning does all the flavor work.
- Turn the heat to medium. Add the doubanjiang, black beans, garlic, and ginger. Fry for about a minute, stirring, until the oil stains red and it smells sharp and savory.
- Pour in the stock, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring to a simmer.
- Slide the tofu in. Simmer for 5 minutes, pushing the cubes around gently with the back of a spoon. Do not stir like you would a stir fry or the tofu breaks up.
- Restir the cornstarch slurry and pour it in. Simmer 1 more minute until the sauce turns glossy and clings to the tofu.
- Dust with the ground Sichuan peppercorn, scatter the scallions over, and serve with rice.
Tips and storage
Mapo tofu is one of the rare tofu dishes that reheats well. It keeps 3 days in the fridge and the flavor is honestly better on day two. Reheat gently in the microwave or a covered pan; the cornstarch sauce loosens and then re-thickens as it warms. It freezes poorly though, the tofu turns spongy, so eat it fresh. For more weeknight ground meat cooking, my Korean ground beef bowls use the same brown-it-hard technique, and the leftover stock from this recipe is a head start on egg drop soup with shredded chicken.
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