← Commonplace
Recipe
Green mapo tofu
A creative green-pepper take on mapo — green Sichuan peppercorn, green chilies, same silky tofu.
- sichuan
- tofu
- experiment
The experimental sibling of the red one. Everything hot in this dish is green: green Sichuan peppercorns (藤椒) for the numbing, fresh green chilies for the heat. It's sharper and more fragrant than the classic — less smolder, more lightning.
What you need
- 1 block (≈500 g) soft tofu, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 150 g minced beef or pork
- 3–4 fresh green chilies + 1 green bell pepper, blitzed to a coarse paste
- 1 tbsp green Sichuan peppercorns, plus extra ground to finish
- 2 cloves garlic + a thumb of ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp rattan pepper oil (藤椒油), if you can find it
- 250 ml stock or water
- Salt, sugar, splash of light soy
- Cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp starch + 2 tbsp water)
- Scallion or garlic-shoot segments
How
- Blanch the tofu cubes in salted simmering water for 2–3 minutes; drain.
- Crisp the mince in oil, scoop half out for topping.
- Add the green chili paste, green peppercorns, garlic and ginger. Fry gently until the paste loses its raw edge and the oil turns green-gold.
- In with the stock and seasoning, then the tofu. Simmer 4–5 minutes.
- Thicken with the slurry in two rounds, fold in the scallions, finish with the rattan pepper oil off the heat.
- Top with the crispy mince and a dusting of ground green peppercorn.
Keep the heat moderate once the green paste goes in — scorch it and the whole dish turns khaki and bitter. You want green sauce, not brown.