Want a non-spicy Mapo Tofu recipe? Ok, this isn’t really Mapo Tofu because “spicy” is the defining aspect of the dish. Mapo Tofu is one of the great classics Szechuan cuisine, and numbingly-spicy Szechuan peppercorns are supposed to be the star ingredient! If you can manage spicy foods with a lot of heat, I 100% recommend going for it.
I, however, have a kindergartener who doesn’t do “spicy” at all. Even spices like Mrs. Dash and ground black pepper are a bit much for his palate. I tone-down everything I cook so he’ll eat it.
Mapo tofu is an awesome “meat on the side” dish, if you want to incorporate plant-based protein without entirely sacrificing the meat. I love tofu because it’s so versatile, and it absorbs the flavor of whatever sauce you put it in. Tofu is a common ingredient in Asian cuisine, and it works great as a protein in Asian dishes.
Ground pork, beef or chicken will also work just as well as ground turkey (ground pork is the traditional meat used in this dish). You can even make this a meatless vegan dish by using plant-based soy protein crumbles like Light Life’s plant-based crumbles.
I completely eliminated all spiciness from this dish by using a red bell pepper and eliminating all of the other peppery ingredients.
Make it spicy
Do you want to make actual, real heart-healthy mapo tofu with the appropriate level of spice? Here’s how you can do it:
- Grind 1 to 2 teaspoons of Szechuan peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or pepper grinder (you can easily find Szechuan peppercorns in your local Asian grocery store)
- Chop up 3 to 4 dried red chilies
- I used this less-spicy black bean sauce from Kikkoman, but you could replace it with something spicier, like this chili black bean sauce from Lee Kum Kee. You can easily find this in your local Asian grocery store or in the “International” aisle in the supermarket.
Kindergarten Mapo Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 2 teaspoon canola oil
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1½ tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
- 8 ounces 93% lean ground turkey
- 2 tablespoon black bean sauce
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ¾ cup low sodium chicken stock (divided use)
- 1½ teaspoon chicken stock
- 14oz firm tofu or silken tofu (diced into ½" cubes)
- 1 green onion (chopped)
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package instructions, omitting any fat and salt
- Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the diced red pepper, minced garlic and grated ginger root to the skillet and cook for about 30 seconds, until the garlic and ginger are fragrant. Take care not to burn the garlic, as the garlic will turn bitter if it burns.
- Add the ground turkey to the skillet, and cook until no longer pink.
- Stir the 2 tablespoons of black bean sauce, ¼ teaspoon sugar and ½ cup chicken stock into the ground turkey mixture.
- Whisk 1½ teaspoons (½ tablespoon) of cornstarch together with the remaining ¼ cup of chicken stock until the cornstarch dissolves. Add this mixture to the skillet.
- Stir in the tofu and the chopped green onions.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture around until the sauce begins to thicken a little, then turn the heat down to medium-low and let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes. You might need to stir it a couple times, just to avoid letting the sauce stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Scoop the rice into serving dishes, and spoon the turkey/tofu mixture over the rice.
