Japanese Mapo Tofu

This Japanese Mapo Tofu recipe was cooked using a tube of Japanese doubanjiang (chilli bean paste/豆瓣酱). I bought the tube from Daiso, but it’s not a Daiso brand so it’s probably available at the Japanese supermarkets too. I really like this sauce so it has made it to my list of pantry sauce staples for Japanese cooking. If you can’t find this, you can use any favourite brand of doubanjiang to substitute.

Japanese Mapo Tofu Recipe

Japanese Mapo Tofu vs Chinese Mapo tofu:

  • The Japanese mapo tofu often contains a mix of sweet and spicy hot bean sauce. The Chinese version typically does not contain the sweet bean sauce. So looking at the ingredient list, my doubanjiang tube paste already has this mix of sweet + spicy. Such a convenience!
  • Japanese mapo tofu is usually much tamer in heat than the Chinese version. But since this is home-cooked, one can add on chilli to make it as spicy as you like (which I did).
  • There is usually no Sichuan peppercorn in Japanese mapo tofu, which is a must-have in the Chinese version. The Sichuan peppercorns give the signature addicting numbing kick. Again you can add the peppercorns if you like them even in the Japanese style. I’m too lazy to toast the peppercorn on the dry pan most of the time, so I can totally live with omitting it.
  • It’s common to see Japanese ingredients in their mapo tofu. I used red miso and mirin in my recipe.
See Also:

Japanese Mapo Tofu Recipe

Japanese Mapo Tofu Recipe

This mapo tofu is so delicious and goes really well with rice.  I ate the mapo tofu with Japanese short-grain brown rice.

STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS

Japanese Doubanjiang
I bought this tube of Japanese spicy bean paste at Daiso for S$2. I am currently into Japanese tube sauces these days as they are so convenient to use and don’t take up much space in the fridge. So you will be seeing more Japanese recipes using tube sauces in future.

Japanese Doubanjiang Tube Paste
The first thing I do when buying a new sauce is a taste test so that I can figure out how to use it. Especially when this tube does not come with instructions on how to cook. It’s really salty! Not spicy at all, but that can be easily fixed. I like that the paste has a vibrant reddish hue, giving a great colour to the dish. It seems to me that it will be useful for other dishes as well.

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
First, I marinated the mince pork (or chicken) in 1 tsp of the hot bean sauce and sesame oil. Mix it well with chopsticks until the colour is evenly distributed.

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
Heat oil in a wokpan. Fry garlic and ginger briskly until aromatic.

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
Add the marinated meat …

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
… and stir fry until the mince just turned opaque.

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
Whisk miso paste, hot bean sauce and hot water in a bowl.

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
Add this sauce to the pan.

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
Along with more water, …

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
… light soy sauce (pictured above), oyster sauce, mirin …

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
… as well as some thinly sliced deseeded dried chilli for extra heat (optional).

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
Stir to mix the sauce well, then cover with lid. Simmer contents for 2 minutes.

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
Add tofu cubes. Stir them in gently and mix in well with the sauce, taking care not to break the tofu.

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
Cover with lid again and simmer for another minute.

Japanese Mapo Tofu (Step-by-Step)
Lastly thicken the sauce to desired consistency with cornstarch slurry.

Japanese Mapo Tofu Recipe
Add chopped spring onions to serve.

Japanese Mapo Tofu Recipe

This recipe uses a Japanese brand of doubanjiang (spicy hot bean sauce). You can use any favourite brand of Japanese-style (or even Chinese) hot bean sauce and adjust the seasonings to taste accordingly.

Check out the ingredients and detailed step-by-step photos on the previous page.

Ingredients:

  • 150g minced pork (or chicken)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp Japanese la doubanjiang (spicy chilli bean paste/hot bean paste/辣豆瓣酱)
  • cornstarch slurry (dissolve 2 tbsp cornstarch in 2 tbsp water)
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
  • 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 dried red chilli deseeded & sliced thinly; to taste
  • 1 block (250g) tofu cubed

Sauce (whisk in a bowl)

  • 1/2 tbsp miso paste
  • 1 tsp doubanjiang
  • 2 tbsp hot water
  • 150ml water
  • 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp mirin

Directions:

  1. Marinade minced pork (or chicken) in sesame oil and doubanjiang. Use chopsticks to stir in a circular motion to mix in the hot bean sauce until the meat is evenly coated.
  2. Whisk the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside, making sure the miso & doubanjiang is fully dissolved.
  3. Heat oil in wok. Fry minced ginger and garlic briefly until aromatic. Then add marinated meat. Fry until the meat just turned fully opaque.
  4. Add prepared sauce and stir well to mix. Cover with lid and simmer for 2 minutes.
  5. Add tofu and mix them into the sauce gently, taking care not to break them. Cover with lid and simmer for another minute. Season the sauce to taste.
  6. Stir in cornstarch slurry gradually to thicken sauce to liking (you may not need to use all of it). Garnish with chopped spring onions before serving.

Cooking Note(s):

  1. I usually buy pressed tofu as it is multi-purpose (can be used for steaming, frying and soup) and the tofu being quite firm, does not break easily. If you want a more silky soft texture, use silken tofu.
  2. For best results, use minced pork (or chicken) with some fats on for better flavour.
  3. In place of dried red chilli, you can also use cayenne pepper powder, 1/4 tsp at a time, to build up the heat level.