When You Need Comfort Food With Serious Protein: My Quick Mapo Tofu
The weather's been so weird lately – one minute it's super hot & humid, the next we're getting these random showers that aren't quite enough to cool things down. It's left me in this odd craving limbo where I want something comforting and a bit soupy, but not too heavy because it's not actually cold or gloomy!
On days like these, I find myself turning to dishes that are spicy and umami-rich, just like this Quick Mapo Tofu recipe~ The big bonus for me is that the combo of tofu + chicken mince makes this incredibly high protein. Don’t forget to add this to your weekly meal ideas if you’re also looking for ways to increase your protein intake without it feeling like a burden.
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Serves: 2
Ingredients
400g chicken mince (or pork)
300g silken tofu, cubed
150g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3-4 spring onions, whites chopped and greens sliced for garnish
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp doubanjiang (Sichuan bean paste)
10-20 Sichuan peppercorns, ground (I pounded whole peppercorns)
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch + 20-30ml cold water (for slurry to thicken the sauce)
2-3 tbsp neutral oil (I used avocado oil)
My rendition
Traditionally, this dish has a higher proportion of tofu to meat, but I prefer having more animal-based protein so there’s a lot of minced meat in mine. Feel free to reduce the amount of meat! Remember to reduce the amount of condiments added as well.
Also feel free to leave out the mushrooms, but I like the taste of shiitake mushrooms + appreciate that there’s a lot of fiber in them!
Method
Get everything ready: This is such a fast-paced recipe so prep all your ingredients first. Cube your tofu, slice mushrooms, chop spring onions, and mince the garlic. I’ll also highly recommend mixing all the condiments + sugar in a bowl or cup. Leave making the cornstarch slurry for later.
Heat a large pan (medium-high): Once the pan is hot, add neutral oil.
Protein time: Add your chicken mince, breaking it up as it cooks. Sauté gently, but I like to leave them to brown just a little.
Aromatics: Once there is no pink left in the mince, add mushrooms, white part of the spring onions and garlic to stir fry. Let the mushrooms cook down for a few minutes.
The flavour bomb: Now for the fun part, pour over the sauce mixture you prepared in the first step and let the pan bubble! Gently add cubed tofu to the pan and spoon the sauce mixture over the tofu several times.
Gentle does it: The trick here is to fold rather than stir or sauté vigorously – you want those cubes to stay as whole as possible. Lower the heat slightly if you want more cooking control.
Thicken up: Make your cornstarch slurry and drizzle it into the pan while gently stirring. The dish will now shape up to how it is actually served - with a thickened sauce. You can add more slurry if you like a thick sauce, but the longer your pan stays over the stove, the more the sauce will start to thicken. It will continue to thicken as it cools as well so don’t go overboard!
Finishing touch: Scatter those green spring onion slices over the top for a pop of colour and freshness.
Enjoy while it's hot: Serve over steaming rice - this is SERIOUSLY THE BEST!
Quick Mapo Tofu
This Mapo Tofu dish proves you can have something properly delicious that also happens to be good for you AND quick to make. It’s the ultimate one pot dish!
