Hwang Jin-sun's Mapo Tofu

Recipe 🍳

Cooking tips 💡

• Roasting whole huajiao (ma jiao) over low heat and grinding it yourself in a mortar delivers a fresher, more intense numbing aroma than store-bought powder—essential for authentic Sichuan flavor.
• Briefly blanching the tofu in saltwater or boiling water just before cooking helps it maintain its firm shape when mixed with sauce, preventing crumbling or clumping.
• Sauté the minced pork until the exterior turns slightly crispy to fully extract the oil—this step is crucial for achieving the rich, deep flavor characteristic of authentic mapo tofu.