Korean Mapo Tofu Rice Bowl
Quick answer
- Total time
- 22 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 10
About this dish
This mapo tofu rice bowl cooks 300 g tofu and 120 g ground pork in a doubanjiang sauce, then serves the thickened mixture over 2 cups of rice.
Read more
Cut the tofu into 2 cm cubes, blanch it in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, and drain it carefully. Blanching firms the surface so the corners are less likely to break while the sauce is applied. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the pork for 3 minutes, breaking it apart until no pink remains. Add 1 tbsp minced garlic and 1.5 tbsp doubanjiang, lower the heat to medium-low, and stir for 1 minute until the oil turns red without letting the paste scorch. Pour in 1/2 cup water. Once it boils, add the tofu and cook gently for 3 minutes, shaking the pan instead of stirring hard. Season with 1 tbsp soy sauce, pour in 1 tbsp starch slurry, and simmer for 30 seconds. The sauce is ready when it looks glossy and stays around the tofu rather than running freely. Spoon it over the rice and finish both servings with 1 tsp sesame oil and 30 g sliced green onion.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Cut 300 g soft tofu into 2 cm cubes.
Blanch it in salted boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain well and set it aside gently so the edges stay firm and the cubes do not break.
- 2Control
Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add 120 g ground pork and stir-fry for about 3 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink remains and the oil starts to look savory.
- 3Heat
Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 1.5 tablespoons doubanjiang.
Lower the heat slightly and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly so the paste does not scorch and the oil turns red and fragrant.
- 4Control
Pour in 1/2 cup water and bring it to a boil.
Add the tofu, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 3 minutes, shaking the pan instead of stirring hard so the sauce coats the cubes.
- 5Season
Season with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, then drizzle in 1 tablespoon starch slurry while the sauce is bubbling.
Cook about 30 seconds more until glossy, lightly thickened, and loose enough to soak into rice.
- 6Finish
Divide 2 cups cooked rice into bowls and spoon the mapo tofu generously over the top.
Finish with 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 30 g green onion, then add Sichuan pepper if stronger numbing heat is desired.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Blanching tofu in salted water helps the cubes stay intact during the spicy stir-fry for mapadubu-deopbap.
- Finish cue
- Cook about 30 seconds more until glossy, lightly thickened, and loose enough to soak into rice.
- Avoid this
- Blanch it in salted boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain well and set it aside gently so the edges stay firm and the cubes do not break.
- Substitution
- Once it boils, add the tofu and cook gently for 3 minutes, shaking the pan instead of stirring hard.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
22min, 10 ingredients
Category median
40min, 8 ingredients
Based on 309 recipes
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