Back
COOKING MODE
Kid-Friendly Mild Mapo Tofu Made the Professional Way
Step 1 / 12
0% Complete
1x
Loop
1
Chop the Japanese long onion fairly coarsely. Chopping it too finely will make the onion lose its presence, so aim for pieces about the size of confetti.
Japanese long onion 1/2 stalk
1:14
~3 min
Play Video
Previous
Next
Steps
Ingredients
1
Chop the Japanese long onion fairly coarsely. Chopping it too finely will make the onion lose its presence, so aim for pieces about the size of confetti.
Japanese long onion 1/2 stalk
1:14
~3 min
2
Mince the ginger and garlic as finely as possible. Mincing them finely makes the overall aroma come through more easily.
1:53
~4 min
3
Chop the pork belly into a coarse mince of about 1cm cubes. Using flavorful pork belly instead of ground pork gives the dish chunky, meaty bites.
3:29
~3 min
4
Put the chopped pork belly in a bowl and season it with 1 teaspoon sake and 1 teaspoon soy sauce (called "qiang" in Chinese cooking). This helps it blend with the seasonings, tenderizes the meat, and draws out its umami.
4:06
~2 min
5
Combine the broth for the sauce in advance. Add the chicken stock powder, 2 teaspoons sake, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, sugar, and oyster sauce to the water and mix.
4:53
~3 min
6
Heat the wok, then turn off the heat once and pour in oil, swirling it to coat the whole wok (seasoning the wok). This is preparation for an iron wok and is unnecessary with a nonstick pan.
7:04
~2 min
7
Add the doubanjiang and fry it thoroughly over low heat until fragrant. This is the most important point, as it forms the foundation of the flavor.
7:38
~2 min
8
Once the doubanjiang is fragrant, add the minced aromatics other than the onion (ginger and garlic) and draw out their aroma slowly over low heat. Fry until the fragrance fills the room.
8:01
~3 min
9
Add the marinated coarsely minced pork belly, raise the heat slightly, and cook while stirring. It is done once clear oil renders out of the meat.
8:28
~4 min
10
Add the combined broth, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cut the tofu into roughly 1.5cm cubes as you add it to the wok, and simmer over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. When stirring, always "push" with the back of the ladle.
9:05
~3 min
11
Once the broth and the tofu are at about the same level, check the strength of the seasoning. Slightly on the strong side goes well with rice. Add the chopped onion and thicken with the starch slurry. Aim for a consistency where pushing with the ladle leaves a trail.
10:34
~3 min
12
Finally, drizzle in the sesame oil, turn the heat all the way up, and sear over high heat (shao). It is done when the sauce clings to the sides of the wok and the oil rises to give it a gloss. Serve on a plate and scatter thin green onions over the top if you like.
11:25
~2 min
1
Step 1
Chop the Japanese long onion fairly coarsely. Chopping it too finely will make the onion lose its presence, so aim for pieces about the size of confetti.
Japanese long onion
1/2 stalk
2
Step 2
Mince the ginger and garlic as finely as possible. Mincing them finely makes the overall aroma come through more easily.
Ginger
1 knob
Garlic
1 clove
3
Step 3
Chop the pork belly into a coarse mince of about 1cm cubes. Using flavorful pork belly instead of ground pork gives the dish chunky, meaty bites.
Pork belly
200g
4
Step 4
Put the chopped pork belly in a bowl and season it with 1 teaspoon sake and 1 teaspoon soy sauce (called "qiang" in Chinese cooking). This helps it blend with the seasonings, tenderizes the meat, and draws out its umami.
Pork belly
200g
Sake
1 teaspoon
Soy sauce
1 teaspoon
5
Step 5
Combine the broth for the sauce in advance. Add the chicken stock powder, 2 teaspoons sake, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, sugar, and oyster sauce to the water and mix.
Water
200ml
Chicken stock powder
1 teaspoon
Sake
2 teaspoons
Soy sauce
2 teaspoons
Sugar
1 teaspoon
Oyster sauce
1 teaspoon
6
Step 6
Heat the wok, then turn off the heat once and pour in oil, swirling it to coat the whole wok (seasoning the wok). This is preparation for an iron wok and is unnecessary with a nonstick pan.
Vegetable oil
to taste
7
Step 7
Add the doubanjiang and fry it thoroughly over low heat until fragrant. This is the most important point, as it forms the foundation of the flavor.
Doubanjiang
1 teaspoon
8
Step 8
Once the doubanjiang is fragrant, add the minced aromatics other than the onion (ginger and garlic) and draw out their aroma slowly over low heat. Fry until the fragrance fills the room.
Ginger
1 knob
Garlic
1 clove
9
Step 9
Add the marinated coarsely minced pork belly, raise the heat slightly, and cook while stirring. It is done once clear oil renders out of the meat.
Pork belly
200g
Sake
1 teaspoon
Soy sauce
1 teaspoon
10
Step 10
Add the combined broth, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cut the tofu into roughly 1.5cm cubes as you add it to the wok, and simmer over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. When stirring, always "push" with the back of the ladle.
Firm tofu
1 block
Water
200ml
Chicken stock powder
1 teaspoon
Sake
2 teaspoons
Soy sauce
2 teaspoons
Sugar
1 teaspoon
Oyster sauce
1 teaspoon
11
Step 11
Once the broth and the tofu are at about the same level, check the strength of the seasoning. Slightly on the strong side goes well with rice. Add the chopped onion and thicken with the starch slurry. Aim for a consistency where pushing with the ladle leaves a trail.
Japanese long onion
1/2 stalk
Potato starch
to taste
12
Step 12
Finally, drizzle in the sesame oil, turn the heat all the way up, and sear over high heat (shao). It is done when the sauce clings to the sides of the wok and the oil rises to give it a gloss. Serve on a plate and scatter thin green onions over the top if you like.
Sesame oil
1 teaspoon
Thin green onions
to taste
ADD NOTE
Add
TIMER
03
:
00
+10s
+30s
+1m
+5m
-10s
-30s
-1m
Clear
Start
Steps
Ingredients
Previous
Next