Home Cooking: Mapo tofu

Mapo tofu (or mapa dubu) is a popular Chinese dish in which small tofu cubes are braised in a spicy sauce. Mapo tofu recipes typically call for doubanjiang (called dubanjang in Korea) which is a spicy, salty chili with fermented bean paste and Sichuan peppercorns (aka Chinese coriander), but these ingredients are not staples in Korean kitchens. 

So, to recreate this dish at home, Koreans often use a combination of doenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochugaru (red chili pepper flakes), and gochujang (red chili pepper paste). It works deliciously! It certainly is not the dish you get from your local Chinese restaurant, but it has all the elements of the dish -- soft tofu infused with intense savory and spicy flavors!

Start the cooking by stir-frying the aromatic vegetables and some gochugaru in hot oil. By adding the gochugaru at this stage, you’ll create the effect of using chili oil. You can still use chili oil, if available.

Ingredients:

1 package tofu (about 400 grams)

120 grams ground pork (or beef)

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

2 scallions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 green bell pepper (or 1 green chili pepper), finely diced

1/4 red bell pepper (or 1 red chili pepper), finely diced

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil (or chili oil)

1 tablespoon gochugaru, red chili pepper flakes

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon doenjang, fermented soybean paste

1/2 tablespoon gochujang, red chili pepper paste

1 teaspoon sugar (or add one more teaspoon for a sweeter taste)

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon starch (mixed with 2 tablespoons water)

Prepare the vegetables as specified.

Cut the tofu into about 2-centimeter large cubes.

Heat a large pan with 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, 1/2 of the chopped scallion, garlic, and gochugaru, and stir-fry until fragrant, 2-3 minutes.

Add the meat, and cook until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up with a wooden spoon, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the soy sauce, doenjang, and gochujang, and stir to blend with the meat. Add the bell peppers (or chili peppers) and cook briefly until slightly softened.

Add 1-1/2 cups of water to the pan, and bring it to a boil. Then, slide the tofu into the pan, gently stirring to spread into a single layer. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, gently stirring 2 to 3 times to make sure the tofu doesn’t stick to the pan.

Gently stir in the starch slurry to thicken the sauce, and then the sesame oil. Cook for another minute or so to bring everything together. Garnish with the remaining scallion, and serve hot with steamed rice.

For more recipes visit www.koreanbapsang.com.

By Ro Hyo-sun