Dinner · 25 min · japanese

Japanese Mapo Tofu

This is the kind of Japanese dinner you’ll make on repeat — silken tofu and ground pork, 25 minutes, big payoff.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 28 oz Silken tofu
• 1/2 lb Ground pork
• 2 tbsp Doubanjiang
• 2 tbsp Miso
• 1 cup Dashi
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Fresh ginger
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 3 Scallions
• 1 tbsp Sesame oil
• 2 tbsp Potato starch
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

Steps

1. Cut the tofu into generous cubes — small cubes dissolve into the sauce, and mapo should have distinct, wobbly pieces.
2. Brown the pork in a hot wok until crisp and rendered, then fry the doubanjiang, ginger, and garlic 1 minute until brick-red and fragrant.
3. Stir in the miso and dashi, bring to a simmer, and season with soy — the Japanese version leans savory-sweet, not fiery.
4. Slide in the tofu and simmer 5 minutes, pushing rather than stirring so the cubes stay whole.
5. Swirl in the potato-starch slurry and simmer 1 minute until the sauce turns glossy and clings to the tofu.
6. Finish with sesame oil, scallions, and a pinch of ground Sichuan peppercorn. Serve over rice.

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