When it comes to comfort food with a fiery kick, Mapo Tofu is hard to beat. This classic Sichuan dish is rich, spicy, and packed with bold umami flavors—exactly what you need when you’re craving something deeply satisfying. Traditionally, it’s made with soft tofu, ground pork, and a sauce that delivers a perfect balance of heat, umami, and that signature tingly numbing sensation from Sichuan peppercorns. The name Mapo Tofu roughly translates to “pockmarked old lady’s tofu,” supposedly named after the woman who first made it in Chengdu over a century ago. Over time, it’s become one of the most famous Sichuan dishes worldwide, with plenty of variations to suit different spice levels and ingredient preferences. (check out my vegan version!) The fact that it’s on the table in a half hour means this is on regular rotation at my house. It also reheats beautifully, making it perfect for meal prep.

Like so many beloved dishes in Chinese home cooking, Mapo Tofu is about making the most of what you have. A small amount of ground pork goes a long way when paired with silky tofu and a bold, fragrant sauce. It’s a perfect example of how “peasant food”—especially in Asian cuisine—stretches ingredients, layers flavors, and turns simple staples into something extraordinary. My version today sticks to the classic flavors but keeps things simple and weeknight-friendly. So if you’re ready to bring some Sichuan heat to your table—let’s get into it!

I start making my Mapo Tofu by making an intensely flavorful chili oil. Crushed dried chilis get gently cooked in oil, and then left to steep off the heat while I prep the rest of the ingredients. This chili oil gives the Mapo Tofu some heat and backbone. Sometimes I find traditional Mapo Tofu a little too oily-like there’s a thick layer floating on top. This Mapo Tofu does have some oil but it’s moderate, just enough to get the flavor.

While that steeps, I mince my garlic and onion.

Then I cut the tofu into small cubes. I use silken tofu, which is traditional and gives a creamy silky texture to contrast with the ground pork. You can use substitute other types of tofu if that’s what you prefer or have on hand.

I had whole Sichuan peppercorns, so I used a mortar and pestle to grind them.

If you do that you’ll notice some tough hulls mixed in. These don’t add much flavor and can be a bit gritty, so after grinding, simply sift the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. What you want to keep is the fragrant, finely ground husk—that’s where all the good stuff is.

Mapo Tofu cooks quickly like a stir fry, so I like to make sure I have everything prepped and close at hand. I have all my sauce ingredients ready, and I also make a quick slurry by mixing cornstarch with water before I start cooking. The slurry will help thicken the sauce so that it coats everything in its spicy goodness.

Mix until the cornstarch dissolves and the slurry is smooth. You’ll need to mix it again later right before using it as it tends to separate quickly.

When everything is prepped it’s time to start cooking! I heat a pan and then add my chili oil. Only you know your heat preference; if you want a milder mapo tofu then strain most of the chilis out before heating the oil. If you like it hot, use them all.

Then I add my aromatics, the garlic and the ginger. They get just a brief stir until they are fragrant, just about 10 seconds or so; we don’t want them to burn.

Then I add the pork. Full disclosure, I wasn’t paying attention at the store and ended up with ground beef. So that’s what you see here. Pork is often the preferred meat in classic Chinese cuisine, but you can use whatever type of ground protein you like: Beef, chicken, turkey, vegan meat. It will all work.

I use a wooden spatula to break up the meat.

Keep cooking until it is mostly cooked through, without big portions of pink/raw meat.

Then I stir in the ground Sichuan peppercorns. The smell will be mind blowing. Again, I know the traditionalists will scoff at the amount called for but I find too much Sichuan peppercorn astringent and bitter. By all means, if you are a lover and can’t get enough, feel free to add more. You can also sprinkle some at the end as a garnish. Finally, if your peppercorns are a little old, you may need to use more as well to get enough flavor.

Then I add the sauce ingredients. Heavy hitters like oyster sauce, chili bean sauce, and a little soy sauce to round out the flavors.

A dash of sugar helps to balance the flavors.

Then I add in the silken tofu and the chicken broth.

Give it a good stir and let it simmer for a few minutes so the tofu heats through and the ground meat is fully cooked.

Remember that cornstarch slurry we made a while back? Make sure to give her a good stir before adding.

We let her work her magic and thicken our sauce for another minute.

Now the only thing left to do is garnish and serve.

I feel like serving mapo tofu over rice is pretty much the only way to go. If you have a better idea, let me know! And don’t forget to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love seeing your creations.

Mapo Tofu

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: serves 2-3 1x
• Category: entrees
• Cuisine: Chinese

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Ingredients

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• 3 Tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed dried chilis 
• 3 tablespoons finely minced ginger 
• 3 tablespoons finely minced garlic 
• 8 ounces ground pork
• 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns 
• 2 tablespoons spicy chili bean sauce (Tobanjang)
• 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon sugar 
• 1 cup chicken broth, homemade or low sodium preferred
• 1 pound silken tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 Tablespoon water mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 scallion, finely minced for garnish

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Instructions

Make the chili oil:

1. Combine the oil and chili flakes in a small sauce pan and heat over low heat for 5 minutes. The oil should barely sizzle (make sure the chilis do not burn. Either turn the heat lower or turn off the heat and let the oil just steep if you see the chilis burning). 
2. Then let the oil sit for an additional 10 minutes before using. Set it aside while you prep the other ingredients.

For the Mapo Tofu:

1. Heat a heavy deep pan over medium high heat.
2. Pour the chili oil into the pan. You can either add all of the chilis, some of the chilis, or just the oil depending on your heat tolerance. Next add the ginger and garlic. 
3. Stir for 10 seconds and then add the ground pork. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat. Cook for several minutes until mostly cooked through and then add the ground sichuan peppercorn.
4. Cook for a minute, stirring, until fragrant. 
5. Add the spicy chili bean sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and chicken broth. Stir to combine and let the mixture come to a simmer.
6. Add the tofu and simmer for 3 minutes.
7. Stir the cornstarch slurry so it is smooth, and pour it over the tofu. Stir it into the mixture and cook for another minute until the mapo tofu has thickened.
8. Stir in the scallions, then transfer to a large bowl and serve immediately with hot rice.

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Notes

*Mapo Tofu reheats well. Pour the leftovers into a pan and simmer over medium heat until hot or microwave for several minutes.

 

Keywords: mapo tofu, quick dinner, comfort foods, pork, chinese, szechuan, sichuan

Everyone loves dumplings, that’s just an undisputed fact. Not everyone feels confident making them from scratch though. These Cantonese Shumai are little juicy bundles of delight, they are a dim sum favorite for a reason after all, but they are also an excellent way to dive into dumpling making for the first time. There’s no complicated pleating, or fancy crimping, or exploding seams to worry about. They still look elaborately impressive, and the savory filling is umami perfection! Combining the classic flavors of pork and shrimp with some simple seasonings, these Shumai are so delicious, you’ll come back for them again and again.

Whether you’ve eaten ravioli, tortellini, wontons, gyoza, or potstickers, you’ve had a version of dumplings. Luckily for home cooks, Shumai are the dumping equivalent of a free form tart. They are virtually impossible to screw up and any less than perfect shapes only add to the charm. Plus, you get a mouthful of the best part, the amazing filling. Nothing is worse than biting into a dumpling and wondering what happened to the filling. Shumai will never disappoint you because they are jam packed. The open top means you can cram a generous amount without worrying about how you’re going to seal it closed. So let’s get your freezer stocked with some of these lovelies.

Making the Shumai Filling

Shumai are stuffed with a divine mixture of rich and juicy pork, savory shrimp, earthy dried shiitake mushrooms and some of my favorite flavor bombs like Shaoxing wine, white pepper, toasted sesame oil, and oyster sauce. Hopefully these items are already part of your pantry. If not, you can always substitute with some good (if slightly different) results. You can use other dried or fresh mushrooms for the shiitake. Dried shiitakes are best for intense authentic flavor, but some fresh shiitakes or portobellos would work fine too.

Don’t have any Shaoxing cooking wine? Try some dry sherry (my first choice), sake, or even mirin instead. If you don’t have any oyster sauce, a little fish sauce or even more soy sauce would work. And if you’re out of toasted sesame oil, my heart breaks for you as nothing can match the deep toasty flavor, but a little neutral oil can still boost the juiciness of your dumplings.

I start by submerging the dried mushrooms in boiling water until softened:

While I’m waiting for them to soften, I start making the pork mixture. Just a quick note on ground pork. When you go to the grocery store you are looking for a fatty grind, the kind you would use for making sausages. Please don’t buy lean ground pork. You will sacrifice flavor, juiciness, and happiness. A dry dumpling is a sad dumpling ;)

Mixing the pork until it is a fine paste is essential to get the right springy texture that is characteristic of Shumai. Once you add the flavorings, you’re going to want to mix and slap the mixture. At first the meat will break apart but as you continue to work it, it will get sticky and pasty. This takes about two minutes so keep kneading and mixing.

Mix it all thoroughly together and then the filling is ready.

Make the Shumai

To make the most traditional shumai, I seek out a Hong Kong style wonton wrapper. They are quite thin and have the yellow color shumai are famous for, but if you can’t find them, any wonton wrapper will work. I used the square wrappers because they are the easiest to find in my area but round would work even better. Take out a small stack of wrappers from the pack and keep the rest covered so they don’t dry out. Have a small dish of water ready to adhere the corners of the wrapper to the dumpling.

Start by putting a generous tablespoon of filling into the center of a wrapper, and then use one hand to cup and hold it upright (I put my fingers together to form an “O” ) while you use the other hand to gently push the filling down with a spoon or butter knife. Gently smooth the surface of the dumpling and then fold the corners of the dumpling down (if you are using square wrappers) and stick it to the side of the dumpling using a little water as glue.

Place the Shumai on the counter and continue shaping it so you have a nice compact mini cylinder. Finally, put the completed shumai on a tray and proceed with filling and shaping more Shumai until you have used up all of the pork mixture. You will yield approximately 30 pieces. Freeze any unused wrappers in an airtight container for future use.

Once your dumplings are completed, they are usually garnished with a little orange caviar for color. This is not necessary but a nice touch if you have it. Pro tip: Order 1 piece of Masago or Tobiko caviar from a Japanese restaurant sashimi style. You only need a small amount on each dumpling and this way you won’t have to deal with using out a full container of caviar. Alternatively, finely diced carrot can also be used to garnish the Shumai. Or go minimalist and don’t bother. The Shumai will still taste great.

Cooking the Shumai

Steaming keeps the shumai extra tender and juicy. Whatever type of steamer you have, make sure you spray it with nonstick oil spray before placing the raw dumplings so these delicate babies don’t stick to the pan. I fill my bottom pan with plenty of water and then bring it to a rolling boil on high before placing the steamer insert with the dumplings.

Cover with the lid and then steam on high until the dumplings are cooked through the center, about 10 minutes. If you’re not sure the dumplings are fully cooked, take the largest dumpling you see and cut through the center to check.

Continue to steam all the shumai and then it’s time to enjoy your labors. Generally these aren’t eaten with a dipping sauce, but rather served alongside bottles of soy sauce, vinegars, and chili oil so you can choose your own adventure. A bowl of this chili crisp would be most welcome too!

If one batch of Shumai is too much for one sitting, you can easily freeze them either raw or cooked. If you prefer to freeze them raw, place the tray in the freezer uncovered until the Shumai are frozen solid (3-4 hours). Then transfer them to a freezer safe bag or air tight container. When you are ready to cook them, steam them straight from the freezer, adding 3-5 additional minutes to the cooking time.

Looking for the fastest and easiest way to a meal? Then I suggest pre-cooking them before you freeze. Once the Shumai are cooked, let them cool to room temperature, place them in a freezer safe bag or airtight container, and freeze. You can reheat them either in the steamer or the microwave straight from the freezer. To mimic the steaming process in the microwave, put a couple tablespoons of water with the shumai and cover with plastic wrap before microwaving for a couple minutes.

Try these delicious Shumai and let me know what you think! I hope you love them as much as we do, and that you are inspired to try your hand at some of our other really popular dumpling recipes, like these Korean Mandu or these Mushroom Dumplings.

Shumai

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 35 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: makes 30 shumai 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2–3 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 pound fatty ground pork
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce 
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 ½ Tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 6 ounces peeled and deveined shrimp (you can use any size)
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped white portion of green onion
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 large egg white (save yolk for another purpose)
• 30 wonton wrappers / egg wrappers 8cm/3.5″ squares or rounds
• Oil spray for steamer basket

GARNISH:

• 1 Tablespoon masago/tobiko caviar or very finely minced carrots

FOR SERVING:

Soy sauce, vinegar (Chinese black or white distilled), and chili oil or paste

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Instructions

Make the filling:

1. Place the mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Submerge the mushrooms using a small plate/bowl and soak until soft, about 15-20 minutes.
2. Squeeze out excess water and trim and discard the woody stems. Finely chop the mushrooms and set aside.
3. Peel the shrimp and then chop it into small pieces with a knife. I keep the shrimp roughly chopped so you can taste the shrimp better in the filling.
4. Place the ground pork, salt, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, and ground white pepper in a large mixing bowl.
5. Mix the pork vigorously with your hands, slapping it around the bowl, until it becomes sticky, about 2 minutes.
6. Add chopped mushrooms, shrimp, green onions, egg white, and cornstarch. Mix well.

Making Shumai:

1. Have a small dish of water ready if you are using square wrappers.
2. With your left hand (or right hand if you are left-handed), bring your thumb and fingers together to form an “O”
3. Place the wonton wrapper over the “O”
4. Take 1 heaping Tablespoon of filling and gently pack it into the center of the wrapper, pushing into the “O”.
5. Use the back of the spoon or a butter knife to smooth the filling so it’s even with the edge of wonton. If you’re using square wonton sheets, wet the outside of the shumai lightly with water and fold the corners of the square down so it sticks to the side of the shumai.
6. Place the shumai on the counter and use your fingers to shape it into a round cylinder. 
7. Set the shumai on a plastic wrapped tray or large plate and continue making shumai until you have used up all of the filling. (you may have some wrappers leftover. You can re-freeze any leftover wrappers that you don’t use.)
8. Garnish the dumplings by adding a tiny bit of caviar or chopped carrots to the top of the shumai.
9. Set up a double boiler or a bamboo steamer/steamer basket in a wok or large deep skillet with 3-4 cups of water and bring the water to a boil over high heat.
10. Oil the surface of the steamer basket and place as many shumai as can fit into the basket without touching. 
11. Once the water is boiling, place the steamer basket into the steamer and cover with a lid.
12. Steam the shumai for 8-10 minutes until the center is cooked through and a temperature reading is 165. (You can cut into the center of the biggest one to check.)
13. Place the shumai onto a platter and continue to cook any remaining shumai, adding more water to the pot if needed.
14. Serve the shumai right away with soy sauce, white/black vinegar, and chili oil.

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Notes

*Shumai is generally not served with dipping sauce. Instead you are encouraged to make your own sauce with soy sauce, vinegar, and chile oil at dim sum restaurants.

* You can freeze any raw or cooked shumai:

If you’re freezing raw shumai, leave them on the tray and place the tray in the freezer. Freeze for several hours until they are frozen solid. Transfer to a freezer safe bag or container once frozen. When you are ready to steam, you can freeze them straight from the freezer, adding 3-5 minutes of cooking time.

If you are freezing cooked shumai, let them cool to room temperature first and then transfer to a freezer safe bag or container. You can reheat them by steaming or microwaving for a couple of minutes straight from the freezer. If you’re microwaving, add a couple tablespoons of water to the shumai and then cover with plastic wrap before microwaving. This helps preserve moisture by mimicking the steaming process.

Keywords: shumai, shrimp, pork, chinese, cantonese, dim sum, dumplings, wontons, lunar new year, holiday