No.54 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Mapo tofu

Made famous by Fuchsia Dunlop

Photo: NeoBatfreak, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From Land of Plenty, 2001.

Chengdu's most famous dish, first served by a pockmarked old woman in the 1800s; now cooked from Sichuan to Seoul to San Francisco.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in Land of Plenty.

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) soft or medium tofu, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• Fine salt
• 4 oz (115 g) ground beef or pork
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 1/2 tbsp Sichuan chile bean paste (Pixian doubanjiang)
• 1 tbsp fermented black beans, rinsed
• 2 tsp ground Sichuan chile (or chile flakes)
• 1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock
• 1 tsp sugar and 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 4 baby leeks or scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp ground roasted Sichuan peppercorns

Steps

1. Bring a pan of salted water to a gentle simmer. Add the tofu and keep it just below a simmer for 3 minutes; this firms it and seasons it. Leave it in the water.
2. Heat a wok over high heat with the oil until it shimmers. Add the beef and stir-fry until crisp and browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Lower the heat to medium. Add the chile bean paste and stir-fry 1 minute until the oil turns red and fragrant. Add the black beans and ground chile and stir 30 seconds.
4. Pour in the stock and stir. Lift the tofu out of its water with a slotted spoon and slide it in gently. Push it with the back of a ladle (not a spatula) so it doesn't break.
5. Season with the sugar and soy and simmer 5 minutes so the tofu absorbs the flavor. Add the leeks and simmer 1 minute more until they just wilt.
6. Add the cornstarch mixture in two or three additions, nudging gently, until the sauce clings to the tofu.
7. Pour into a bowl, sprinkle with the ground Sichuan pepper and serve with plenty of rice.

Chef's tips

• Pixian doubanjiang is the soul of the dish; it's sold in Chinese groceries and online.
• Toast Sichuan peppercorns in a dry pan before grinding for the full numbing aroma.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop: get the book, No. 15 on The 100 Greatest Cookbooks.

← No. 53Kung pao chicken→ No. 55Red-braised pork belly