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If you’ve never heard of this delicious Sichuan dish before, now you have & you’ve seen a picture of it. Of course my rendition of it errs on the traditional meat & tofu dish, but this is still an amazing Chinese dish, which pretty much is a party in your mouth. Probably might even make you sweat a little if you can’t handle the heat. This would not be the greatest recipe to try if you’re in, oh I don’t know, California or Florida right now–the states that completely avoided the Polar Vortex because they defy the laws of Seasons–but if you’re in any of the other 48 states with the exception of parts of Texas, this dish is right up your alley. Autumn is happening & it’s slowly getting chillier with each passing week, so if you’re one of the strange individuals who doesn’t like soup–& apparently I know about at least 3 of you–mapo tofu is a nice solution. This dish is the perfect embodiment of Sichuan cuisine with its usage of their spicy peppercorns, reminiscent to the heatwave that is hammering a drought stricken California or the ever humid Florida. So, eat up this recipe & experience the heat before venturing out to the chilly autumn wind. Even if you’re not a fan of tofu, the sauce is so distinctive in flavor that the tofu won’t even bother you one bit. Not a fan of mushrooms? We’ve already talked about this.
Mushroom Mapo Tofu
What? Did you think Chinese food was all the same? Pft, get out of here you ignorant person, you! I’m kidding, please stay so you can learn something. China has over a billion residents & a huge land mass that’s kind of hard to miss if you looked at a world map. Growing up in Orange County, the culture there was vastly different from the culture in Los Angeles & my house to Westwood was only 40+ miles away! So, you can imagine how different Chinese cuisine can be from lo mein, stir-fry veggies, wontons/dumplings, & finally, mapo tofu across their ginormous country. Whether you’re enjoying a meal from the Guangdong providence (Cantonese), Sichuan, or from that sketchy Chinese restaurant that would probably fail a health inspection test, each of the 8 culinary Chinese cuisines has its own flair. American Chinese cuisine is characterized by … well, anything that is deep fried & would probably raise your cholesterol. Sichuan & Cantonese are probably my favorites, but I wouldn’t recommend eating any Sichuan dish if you’re in Florida or anywhere that’s just burning up.
Speaking of Florida, I’m finally getting around to posting some of the photos from my vacation this summer with Josh! I’ve selected several photos that sum up my time there.
Visiting Florida
Click the photos to see captions! I’m terrible with the heat, so I hate Florida as much as it hates me. While I could write a pointlessly scathing review of the state, its awful weather, the hanging chad incident of 2000, the Frump Couture that seems to be in “fashion” (they’re also about 3 years behind on trends), & the lack of redeeming qualities other than Disney World & Ultra (okay, I’ll also give them pretty beaches), I still came home with 20 mosquito bites. You win this time, Florida. Regardless, I am forever thankful to Josh & his family for their gregarious hospitality. I’m thankful I have the opportunity to leave California to travel & I obviously sacrificed my blood to mosquitos for beautiful photos!
So, what is your favorite Chinese dish? What was your favorite vacation & your least favorite locale?
Thanks for being my personal photographer and adventurous companion in Jax and SoFla! You got some really great shots, especially the sunset at my house (I’ve never seen my house look so nice!) and the DARLING photo of you on the wooden bridge at Jax Beach! You helped make my transition to my new job that much easier (despite not having most of my apartment goods). I can’t wait to see you in Bean Town next week. Also, FIRST!
Oops, I forgot your questions!
Favorite Chinese dish- Peking duck
Favorite vacation (3-way tie)- Second trip to Hawaii (ATV riding through Parker Ranch in the rain and island hopping), Wyoming and Colorado with my folks (Old Faithful and my first DDD eating experience) and the post-dissertation defense Bui Bahamian Bash (R&R after a major life event with mi novia and cheap happy hour drinks)!
Least favorite locale- Perhaps surprisingly, Dinosaur, Colorado. There is basically nothing to do in the town, there is only one (terrible) restaurant, and Dinosaur Monument is actually a mile away from the entrance to the park. I have no idea how anyone lives there.
I love mapo tofu! It’s one of the few tofu dishes I eat. I normally don’t like tofu, but like you said, the sauce is great and usually overpowers the tofu taste. This is my first time seeing it with mushrooms instead of meat, and it looks really good 🙂
That’s too bad it rained every day you were in Florida! I imagine the humidity would be terrible. At least you got some pretty photos while there! I love the ones of the beach.
Hm… it’s so hard to choose a favorite Chinese dish. One of my favorites is one my mom makes, which uses pigs feet, eggs, and black vinegar. Soup dumplings are another favorite 🙂 As for favorite vacation, it’s definitely Hawaii so far. Kauai and Big Island are tied. I can’t choose which island I like more! My least favorite spots were actually some of the busy cities in China. They were just way too crowded for me.
I’ve never had true Chinese dishes. People don’t realize the dishes you get at 90% of the “Chinese” restaurants are not true to China.
I haven’t been on a vacation in around 10 years. I do have a least favorite vacation, I had food poisoning the whole time.
It depends where you’re eating, of course. The closer you are to a Chinatown, the more likely it’ll be authentic. My recipe for Mapo Tofu stays true to Chinese recipes without the addition of meat, making it vegan, which is suitable for you.
Haha, it looks like your boyfriend really likes asian food! I don’t really like mapo tofu, because we have it here at my place at least once every couple of months. Before we used to have it once a week. Maybe it’s because I’m Taiwanese, and my parents just cook the same foods over and over again? Haha.
I’ve been to florida before, though I went during the winter time, and we did end up going to Key West, and I didn’t get any mosquito bites. I wasn’t able to go to Disney World, or even Universal studios, but perhaps next time! I just want to go to Universal because of the Harry Potter experience, and I’ve heard that they have butterbeer there.
I feel you! When I was in junior high, my parents were too busy to cook & we’d always invite our grandparents to eat so we would go to his favorite Cantonese restaurant. I got SO SICK OF IT. I hated it. For the longest time, I just absolutely hated Chinese food because we had it every damn day. I wanted variety. I wanted to choose what I ate. I wanted anything else! It was delicious every time, but I was still so tired of it. But then my mom started cooking more & we didn’t have Cantonese that often so I began to appreciate that restaurant & its food way more. Try making your own when you have a day that your parents don’t make it. I think you’d appreciate it more if you made it yourself & you were actually craving it.
I’ve been to Universal, but that was way before HP even became movies. I would love to go there for the HP experience. OKAY SO ANOTHER QUALITY.
I feel your guys’ pain! My dad would take us to one of three places in California over the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). They would be Flo’s, Chino Burgers and Rancho Grande (when it was still up). I would get sick of eating the same things every single weekend. I wish that we could have at least made breakfast at home (like a normal family). NO, my dad wanted to go to Rancho Grande. So we went there. However, I thought he would switch it up a bit, but nope Saturday and Sunday mornings both Rancho Grande, same thing with Chino Burgers and Flo’s. I would get so sick of it that I would ask if we could eat somewhere else? I’d finally get an okay, but it’d be right back at Flos’, Rancho Grande, or Chino Burgers again. I finally just decided to go with it. My meals were free anyways, so why not? I hated Chino Burgers because they didn’t have much of a selection to my liking and same thing with Flo’s. I’ve been going there since way before I was born and in my mom’s stomach and the waitresses knew us and always asked “Bowl of Chili and fries or Chili Size?” (Hey that almost rhymed!) That’s how well they knew us.
I vowed that when I got my own apartment that I would eat everything Asian. However, I didn’t have the right tools to make the dishes with, and I didn’t have the recipes like I thought I would (it was a sudden move). I thought for sure that my furniture would be Asian as well, as I loved the look and feel to the Asian furniture. Didn’t happen either. I had hand-me-downs, but I was thankful. I started to get pictures that were Asian, but that’s when I realized I was being something I wasn’t. I mean you guys eat healthy and clean whereas; we (Americans) eat horrible. Not all, but most. I’ve learned to eat healthier thanks to my boyfriend and to my landlady. Tiffany knows the story already.
It looks sooooo good! I miss spicy food so much! Japan doesn’t like spicy very much :\ I’m worried I won’t be able to handle spicy when I get back home! lol.
HAH I know. Their “spicy” sushi isn’t spicy. Their “spicy” ramen isn’t spicy. Nothing I’ve ever had that was Japanese was ever really spicy. Just hop on a plane toward Korea, Thailand, or Vietnam – they know what spicy is.
I swear, your pictures are incredible! Believe it or not (as I mentioned in the comment above) that I thought I would be making nothing but Asian dishes at my apartment when I received one. Unfortunately, my plan somewhat backfired on me as I didn’t have the recipes that I do now, and I didn’t have the tools to make the recipes with back then either. So making the recipes would’ve been a little trickier. I just love your recipes and can’t wait to try some.
I’m sorry that it kept raining on you guys the day of your beach trip. Florida is impossible to foresee into the future with its weather.
Thanks for the sweet words, Jamie! My Mushroom Mapo Tofu recipe is fairly easy in terms of kitchenware: you only need a large frying pan (something that kind of looks like a wok, but doesn’t need to be that high) & a stirring spoon. The ingredients you’d have to go find at a huge Asian grocery store though. If you love Chinese flavors, you’ll find a lot of use for the sauces, trust me. It’ll make future Chinese dishes a lot cheaper. Tofu is cheap already so you could buy 2. Use half for a mapo tofu recipe, the other half for miso soup, & the other one for protein shakes in the morning. Boom, easy peasy. 🙂
Eh, it’s okay. Being prepared for rain & heat would make the experience in Florida better, but I mostly just hated the humidity & heat. It’s not fun, especially because mosquitos love me.
I’m always looking for different ways to cook tofu, so thanks for sharing this recipe. We’re big fans of spicy food in this flat, and with winter coming it’s the perfect way to warm up.
Josh’s backyard looks incredible! I wish I had such easy access to a pool.
My favourite Chinese dishes are shredded duck pancakes and sweet and sour chicken. I guess that’s kind of a boring response actually, haha. 😛
You’re so welcome! I’m glad you find it appealing. It looks like mushy tofu, but the flavor is there & the tofu soaks it right up. I’ll be sure to add more tofu recipes with you in mind.
Hah right? Me too.
I don’t think I’ve ever had shredded duck pancakes before, but when I ate land creatures, I used to love duck! Your answer is more unique than you think, mostly because only a few people answered the questions at all.
Never been to Florida, must be a “cool” place, despite the heat :). It’s always a pleasure to look at the pictures of your trips, Tiffany.
In regards to the mapo tofu… I’m sure I’ll be able to handle it! Here in London the weather is awful, with rainy, dark and cold days. I can’t get enough of spicy food. With tofu and bean sauce being already in my fridge, I’m not too far from trying out this recipe!
Florida is anything but cool!! 🙁 Well, it does kind of cool down in the winter. They’re behind on trends, but Miami is the place to be for Spring Break! I’m glad you enjoy my photos, Dani! 🙂
All of my weather apps have 5 locations saved: London, Brighton, Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, & Boston. Boston, Brighton, & London are experiencing very similar weather so I understand how an Italian living in London can feel dismayed by the weather hah! Especially because Italy has such beautiful weather, but it gets way too hot for me to handle. Please try out the recipe & tell me what you think! I made it last night (an entire tofu package) & it’s practically gone today, whoops! I’m addicted.
Mmmm…. it looks so delish! China is so big and vast with so many different regions I’m truly not surprised that there are plenty of delicacies within each area. I for one am waiting until I get to go and try as many as I can! And spicy or not, I love it all!
Florida definitely can be super hot and warm! My sister was just there back in August and she said to was so humid and hot.
mapo tofu is one of the best chinese dishes ever. EVER! i’m not sure if you ever tried but there’s this one chinese restaurant called din tai fung and i love their mapo tofu though i’m not sure how it is in the US branch… (psst, they serve good dumplings and dim sum!!) too bad so far, in here, there’s no super spicy mapo tofu. the mapo tofu here are all weak; not spicy enough though delicious.
how can anyone not love soup!? LOL just kidding. i grew up with soup so it’s one of my comfort food, other than oatmeal cooked with milk. i really want to try cooking chowder at home but eh, i’m not really sure about the cream and stuff. that, and tomato soup as well. for some reason even though i did get tomato puree already, tomato soup didn’t turn out well for me.
haha, i laughed a little there at your words for chinese dishes. chinese cuisine is interesting, to be honest. it’s just that after eating chinese food from original china, the chinese food here tastes bland and not special anymore, also because with the price charged here…they’re not worth it. everything in indonesia is freaking expensive wth.. that’s why my family and i rather go to like japanese or french food than chinese because the former’s a lot more special and with almost the same price as the chinese food.
however, them chinese in china eat anything and everything that moves. i swear it, man. i went to their fresh market and they sell bees or wasps a-and beetles (i think).. and i just… ermagehd my mom and i were like close to throwing up? i don’t mean to offend but i just can’t imagine myself eating those….not to mention some of them do fry grasshoppers and cockroaches – yes, my teacher told me this and she took pictures of them last time. i just– djekhflwk whut.. they really live by their “anything that moves is edible” motto.
i’m not sure if this applies to all the food in china but all the food i ate when i went to guangzhou are really oily. they’re good but really oily. probably because they’re not like, say… sophisticated elite formal dining? yeah, my family and i search for budget friendly places to eat so yeah, i could feel the oil in my mouth. not greasy though, fortunately. still, sometimes it makes me cringe. (at the same time, they ARE good)
cantonese dim sum though! like in hk! yumyum!! hong kong’s definitely the “it” place to enjoy dim sum haha and of course, egg tarts.
i’ve never been to sichuan but i really do wanna try original sichuan dishes from the origin country. and i bet, of course, they’re gonna taste different than the copycats we have here. it’s just…different, you know; when you managed to taste the “original” and then going back to the “copycat”…
speaking of sichuan, now you make me wanna eat sichuan hot and sour soup ugggh asian dishes are really beautiful when you really think about it. and sometimes it ticks me off when someone told me like asian dishes are blah and western cuisine is much much better! my friend did that once and i was like, “fine then, go and choke on your mozzarella cheese sticks and suck all your bacon strips” LOL i’m horrible
your chirashi looks so appetizing!! those are some fresh colors there aaaayyy i’m droolinggg *o*
all your photos are beautiful as always!! too bad about the heat though 🙁
we’re both winter children, aren’t we… haha i can’t stand heat too. it always makes me itchy and i have like so easily bruised and hypersensitive skin so when it’s itchy, i get rashes and my autoimmune disease can be affected. blah i sometimes joke that i’m a mutant.
as for your question:
my favorite chinese dish, huh… wow, i actually can’t pick one. i love peking duck but i love dumplings too and mapo tofu, yeah… but i’ll go with chinese custard bun on this one. i’m not sure what its exact name is but some people also called it molten salted egg custard bun, others call it golden lava bun… well whatever the name is, when you bite it, the inside (which is the golden colored salted egg) will melt and flows >////< ugh i can't go on dim sum without this bun.
my favorite vacation, eh.. i don't go other places much for holiday. it's always guangzhou-hk-macau just because my parents have business in china.. and hk because i love it. sigh. my travel catalog is really boring LOL
YUM. I love the Korean version of this dish (usually sold in Korean-Chinese restaurants), which is called “mapo dooboo”. I’ve only finally tried it a couple of years ago, and now that’s all I order when we get Korean-Chinese food. I’m sure the Korean version is different from the original Sichuan version, but it’s still nommy. As well as your version — it looks so good!
Thanks. It’s pretty easy to make (just made it yesterday in 20 minutes) so I’m sure you can give the recipe a go yourself.
I LOVE mapo tofu! Thanks for making a vegetarian version so I can try it on my husband. My favorite Chinese dish is Zongzi. I wish places would make a mushroom/veggie version!
You’re welcome! Most places just forego any other protein if they’re making it vegetarian so it’s just a plate of mushy tofu, but I’m sure you could request some mushrooms to be tossed in the next time you get it.