Main ingredients 🥩
TofuGround porkGreen onionGarlicGingerDoubanjiangStarch powderChili oil
Yeo Kyung-rae's Mapo Tofu
A Korean-style mapo tofu with deep flavor from doubanjiang and ground meat, as taught by master Chinese chef Yeo Kyung-rae.
🙋 Recommended for
- ⭐ Those who want to make professional-grade mapo tofu at home with ease
- ⭐ People seeking practical, fail-proof recipes using doubanjiang as a rice companion
Ingredients needed 🛒2 servings
- Tofu 1 block
- Ground pork (or beef) 100g
- Green onion 1 stalk
- Garlic 3~4 cloves
- Ginger a little
- Doubanjiang 1.5 tablespoons
- Sugar a little
- Salt a little
- Starch powder 1 tablespoon
- Water as needed
- Chili oil to taste
Recipe 🍳
- Cut the tofu into bite-sized square pieces, blanch briefly in boiling water to remove moisture, then drain and set aside.
- Finely chop the green onion, focusing on the white parts, and mince the garlic and ginger.
- Heat oil in a pan, sauté the ground meat first, then add the chopped green onion, garlic, and minced ginger, stirring to release their aroma.
- Add the doubanjiang and stir-fry until fragrant and spicy, then pour in enough water to cover the ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Season with salt and sugar to suit Korean palates.
- Add the blanched tofu and simmer briefly, then gradually add the starch slurry while stirring to achieve your desired thickness.
- For extra heat, drizzle chili oil to taste before serving.
- Cut tofu into squares and blanch in boiling water; mince the vegetables.
- Sauté the meat in a pan, then add minced green onion, garlic, and ginger to build aroma.
- Add doubanjiang and water, bring to a boil, then adjust seasoning with salt and sugar.
- Add tofu and adjust consistency with starch slurry, finishing with chili oil.
Cooking tips 💡
- Blanching the tofu in boiling water prevents it from breaking apart during cooking and reduces excess moisture.
- Since doubanjiang lacks sweetness and is quite salty, adding a small amount of sugar enhances umami and balances the flavor for a more familiar, crowd-pleasing taste.
- Do not add all the starch slurry at once—add it gradually while stirring to avoid clumping and achieve a smooth, creamy texture.
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