This easy Non Spicy Mapo Tofu recipe is super adaptable and is sure to please all palates. Add your favorite chili if you miss the heat or omit ground pork for vegetarians.
Anyone who calls tofu bland or boring hasn't tried Mapo Tofu. This dish is anything but bland. It's loaded with deep, complex flavors, aromatic garlic and ginger, with a kick of heat at the end. The perfect accompaniment is a large bowl of steamed rice.
Traditionally, Mapo Tofu is spicy. If you order the dish, you should expect some level of heat. To accommodate our two young girls, I developed this non-spicy easy Mapo Tofu recipe and now it's become a family favorite of ours.
Of course if you prefer a traditional spicy Mapo Tofu, it's easy to add some heat with chili paste, chili sauce or chili oil, or even fresh/dried chilis.
Most restaurants make Mapo Tofu way too oily, often smothered in spicy chili oil. If you're like me, I find that all that excess oil is completely unnecessary and makes it far less enjoyable.
This Non Spicy Mapo Tofu packs the same flavors you'll find in restaurants, but it won't make you feel weighed down since it's not drowning in grease. Trust me, your stomach and your health will thank me.
Mapo Tofu dates back many centuries. Over the years, several provinces of China have adopted their own variation of the dish, influenced by local ingredients. This non-spicy version acts as the perfect base. It can easily be adapted to your personal taste.
Do have a fondness for the numbing (mala) sensation of Szechuan dishes? Add a bit of Sichuan peppercorns. Vegetarian? Omit the pork and replace chicken stock with water or vegetable stock. Like a lot of Mapo Tofu sauce? Add an extra cup of chicken stock.
How to Make Mapo Tofu (Not Spicy)
Using a wok is the easiest, but a deep sauté pan or even a pot can be used. Be sure to prep all your ingredients before you start cooking. Get the mapo tofu sauce ready by mixing all the SAUCE ingredients in a small bowl or pre-measuring it out.
1) Heat a wok over high heat until it gets piping hot. Add a tablespoon of oil, then add the ginger. Fry for about 5 seconds, just long enough to release some flavor.
2) Add ground pork. Use a spatula and break up the pork into small pieces. Allow it to cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
3) When the pork is about half cooked, add the garlic and continue to brown and break up the pork.
4) When the pork is browned, add the white part of the scallions. Stir to incorporate.
5) Add all the SAUCE ingredients and fry for about 10 seconds until bubbly.
6) Add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil.
7) Carefully add tofu to the meat sauce. Gently mix to avoid breaking up the tofu. Allow it to come to a boil, stirring occasionally.
8) Push the tofu aside. Add half the cornstarch mixture to the mapo tofu sauce. Stir it in immediately and allow it to come back to a boil.
9) Repeat with the cornstarch slurry until it reaches your desired consistency.
10) Add the remaining green parts of the scallions. Stir to incorporate it all together.
What is Mapo Tofu Ramen?
Give me a bowl of rice topped with Mapo Tofu and I am in heaven. It seems like they were made for each other. A bowl of fluffy steamed rice, topped with silky tofu smothered in saucy porky goodness. There is no better way to enjoy Mapo Tofu.
Then one evening, it all changed. While rummaging through the kitchen for a midnight snack, my options were some leftover Mapo Tofu and some Tung-I Instant Ramen.
Tung-I, by the way, is my favorite brand of instant noodles. The Chinese onion flavor is something I grew up eating and the one I highly recommend.
Can you see where this is going? I made a package of ramen and topped it off with a huge scoop of Mapo Tofu. DEEELICIOUS!
What a great combo, Mapo Tofu with noodles, who knew?! Try it for yourself. I'm certain you'll love it as much as I do, especially for a midnight snack.
Ingredients
- 1 lb soft or medium firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon ginger, minced
- ¼ lb ground pork
- 1 stalk scallion, chopped with green parts separated from the white
- ¾ cup chicken stock
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon bean sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon black vinegar
Cornstarch Slurry
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together ingredients for the SAUCE and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together cornstarch and water for the cornstarch slurry. Set aside.
- Heat up a wok or sauté pan over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add ginger. Sauté for about 10 seconds, just long enough to release its aroma.
- Add ground pork and garlic then use the spatula to break up the pork into small pieces.
- Once the pork is nicely browned, toss in the white parts of the scallions.
- Stir in the sauce and sauté until it becomes very fragrant.
- Add tofu and gently incorporate it into the sauce. Be careful not to break up the tofu.
- Add chicken stock then turn up the heat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer until the tofu is heated through. Stir occasionally, again be careful not to break up the tofu.
- Give the cornstarch slurry a good mix. Push the tofu to the side and gently stir in half the cornstarch mixture. Allow it to return to a boil. You'll notice the sauce has thickened. Repeat with another tablespoon of cornstarch slurry until you reach your desired consistency.
- Sprinkle green parts of the scallions over the top and serve.
Annabel says
Adding to the other review, this recipe is also on regular rotation in my household due to me not handling spice well and having a five year old. My daughter loves this recipe and my husband inhales it; I lose track of his number of helpings! Thankyou so much for posting this.
PickyInPennsylvania says
This has been declared a keeper in our family and I feel bad that there aren't any comments about it on your page. Usually the comments sections on recipe pages are full of glowing reviews from people who haven't even tried the recipe but somehow know it's going to be amazing. 🙂 Well, we tried it.
I think I found this by searching ... seriously... "ma Po tofu not too spicy." I ordered this once. I had no idea what it was at the time, I just wanted something with tofu. I seem to recall it had water chestnuts which I like. But it was ... spicy and probably complex. I wanted to do something with tofu and most of what I was finding was full of bell peppers. I'm ok with spice but I don't like bell peppers. My kids like bell peppers but don't like spice. I have one kid who won't eat meat, loves veggies. One kid who will only eat meat, don't threaten him with veggies. Two kids who will eat meat, tofu, and veggies. Just not too spicy. And then my husband will eat... pretty much anything.
Don't we sound fun? But I was pretty sure that I could turn this into an "everybody's happy!" dinner.
First I tripled the sauce and used vegetarian versions of things as needed (no pork). I couldn't find JUST black bean sauce, only black bean garlic so that's what I used and I meant to omit the garlic but I forgot (and it was fine).
I velveted and poached about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast which I finished cooking up in about 1/3 of the sauce.
Then I blanched some broccoli and carrots for about 2 minutes. I used about 2/3 of the sauce to cook the tofu and finish cooking the veggies, and also added a can of diced water chestnuts (which I just happened to have in the pantry but as it turns out one of my daughters really loves and never mentioned).
I got a little nervous while tossing the sauce ingredients together that it was going to be too salty. Since I didn't have low sodium broth I used half-strength Better Than Boullion "no-chicken flavor."
Made a big batch of rice in the instant pot and guess what? Everyone was able to put together a plate of food they liked. My husband added a little spice to his and the kids declared it "yeah, make this again!"
Thank you for sharing your family's recipes. Your pad see ew (so) is on my list to try sometime soon because that's a dish my kids really like but our favorite thai place isn't super convenient to get to.
tsw says
Hi! Thank you for the wonderful comment! It really made my day!
Great to hear you made this mapo tofu recipe and enjoy it as much as we do. Cooking is about adapting and making it they way you like. Sometimes you don't have a specific ingredient, and that's okay, it's your masterpiece you are creating. We have 4 mouths and 4 different preferences too. This one miraculously satisfies them all.