Recipe for My Mom’s Japanese-Style Mapo Tofu from ‘The Wok’

J. Kenji López-Alt has written a new cookbook with handy tips, fascinating asides and some 200 dishes all related to the wok.

One recipe in “The Wok” is for a version of mapo tofu that is similar to what he ate growing up, though instead of plain ground beef his mom would use the dish as an opportunity to use up leftover dumpling filling.

Unlike the numbing-hot Sichuan version, this one is savory and sweet, with the classic Japanese flavors of soy, sake and mirin, and comes together even faster, if you can believe it.

It’s one of López-Alt’s go-to meals for the family when you’re not in the mood for spicy foods and are craving saucy soft tofu.

MY MOM’S JAPANESE-STYLE MAPO TOFU

Serves: 4

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon (3 g) cornstarch

1 tablespoon (15 ml) cold water

2 tablespoons (30 ml)