Nearly Mapo Tofu — A Casa Adora Version Without Doubanjiang

Mapo tofu is one of the great Sichuan dishes — silky tofu in a fiery, numbing sauce built on fermented black beans and doubanjiang. This is my Casa Adora mapo tofu recipe: Nearly Lee Kum Kee black bean sauce, organic red miso, a fermented habanero chilli sauce from my own collection, and Sichuan pepper ordered online. Hot. Properly hot. You have been warned.

What Is Mapo Tofu?

Mapo tofu originated in Chengdu, Sichuan province, and has been eaten in China for at least 150 years. The name translates roughly as pockmarked old woman's tofu — a reference, apparently, to the woman who invented it. The dish is built on two fermented ingredients: doubanjiang, a Sichuan chilli bean paste, and fermented black beans. Together they create a sauce that is simultaneously hot, salty, savoury and deeply complex — what the Chinese call mala, the numbing heat that comes from Sichuan pepper.

Doubanjiang is not easy to source in rural Andalucía. So this is a mapo tofu recipe without doubanjiang — built instead from what's on the Casa Adora fermentation shelf. The result is different from the original. It is also very good.

The Nearly Substitutions

This is a Nearly Series recipe — the same principle as Nearly Heinz, Nearly Branston and Nearly Lee Kum Kee. The goal is not an exact replica but an honest, well-constructed version built from what's available.

This nearly mapo tofu recipe uses what's on the Casa Adora fermentation shelf:

• Doubanjiang → organic red miso paste + fermented Casa Adora chilli sauce. The miso brings fermented depth and savouriness; the chilli sauce brings heat and complexity.
• Fermented black beans → Nearly Lee Kum Kee black bean sauce. Made in the Casa Adora kitchen from douchi — fermented black beans — with garlic, ginger and sesame oil.
• Sichuan pepper → no substitute. Order it online. Nothing else does what it does.

Nearly Mapo Tofu — The Recipe

Ingredients — serves 1

• 150g Mori-Nu firm tofu
• 75g mushrooms, finely chopped (chestnut or whatever you have)
• 1 tbsp Nearly Lee Kum Kee black bean sauce
• 1 tsp organic red miso paste
• 1 tbsp fermented chilli sauce (habanero or similar)
• ½ tsp pimentón picante
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1cm fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 100ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp potato starch mixed with 1 tbsp cold water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp Sichuan pepper, toasted and ground
• 2 spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced
• 80g buckwheat soba noodles
• Soy sauce to taste

Method

Prepare the tofu — Remove from the pack, pat dry with kitchen paper and cut into 2cm cubes. Set aside. Do not press — Mori-Nu firm has low water content and doesn't need it.

Make the mushroom mince — Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a wok or heavy pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook without stirring for 2 minutes until golden. Stir, add the garlic and ginger, cook for another minute until fragrant. Season with a few drops of soy sauce. Remove and set aside.

Build the sauce — Add the remaining oil to the pan over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook until softened, around 3 minutes. Add the black bean sauce, miso paste, fermented chilli sauce and pimentón picante. Stir together and cook for 1–2 minutes until the oil reddens and the kitchen smells extraordinary.

Bring it together — Pour in the stock and stir. Add the tofu cubes, nudging them gently into the sauce — don't stir aggressively or they will break up. Return the mushroom mince to the pan. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Thicken — Give the starch mixture a stir and add it in two stages, stirring gently, until the sauce coats the tofu in a loose, glossy gravy. Taste and adjust with soy sauce.

Noodles — Cook the soba noodles according to the packet. Buckwheat soba typically takes 4–5 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl.

Finish — Spoon the nearly mapo tofu over the noodles. Scatter with the ground Sichuan pepper and spring onion greens. Eat immediately.

TFC Notes

The heat: This mapo tofu recipe is a hot dish. Fermented habanero sauce plus pimentón picante plus Sichuan pepper is not subtle. Reduce the fermented chilli sauce to ½ tbsp if you want warmth rather than fire. The Sichuan pepper adds a numbing tingle on top of the heat — different from chilli alone and rather addictive.

The tofu: Mori-Nu firm is shelf-stable, available online, and handles this dish well. One 307g pack gives you two portions — cook both and refrigerate the second for tomorrow, or halve the recipe.

The mushrooms: Chestnut mushrooms work best — finely chopped to a rough mince rather than sliced. They disappear into the sauce and add depth without texture.

The substitutions: Nearly Lee Kum Kee black bean sauce replaces fermented black beans. Red miso and fermented chilli sauce stand in for doubanjiang. The one ingredient this mapo tofu recipe can't do without is Sichuan pepper. Nothing else does what it does.

Meat option: Add 75g minced pork with the mushrooms. Brown it first, then follow the recipe as written. The dish becomes richer and more substantial.

Vegetarian/vegan: Use vegetable stock and ensure your fermented chilli sauce contains no fish sauce. Check your black bean sauce — the Nearly Lee Kum Kee recipe uses no fish sauce either.

Triple 30: Nearly mapo tofu on buckwheat soba is a strong Triple 30 dish. Plants in a single bowl: tofu (soy), mushrooms, red onion, garlic, ginger, spring onions, chilli, pimentón, buckwheat, black beans — ten plants, good protein, solid fibre. Serve with a side of kimchi or sauerkraut and you're doing serious gut health work.

This mapo tofu recipe without doubanjiang is part of my Tofu Recipes collection, my Nearly Series, and my Veggie & Vegan hub. It also features in my Veg, Fruit & Pulses hub.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef