Caribean Mapo Tofu

Mapo tofu has a sense of nostalgia that I never really experienced, but still felt. It’s warm and comforting with a little zing, reminiscent of a slightly spicy parent who still means well. I’ve become obsessed with this Sechaun staple. Everything I want in a dish. Spicy, savory, and a vegan optional asterisk. Now I ask, how do I make this amazing dish through my lens? Here we have a Caribbean-inspired Mapo Tofu. Nothing too extensive. We’re keeping the base of mapo tofu with a few techniques and ingredient additions. Taking some elements of five spice and char smokiness. This mapo tofu may not be traditional, but it still hits each mapo point we like.

Spices

I chose to add a few additional spices here to bring a little more Caribbean essence. The goal was not to overdo it, clashing the flavors. Mapo Tofu already has a lot of bold flavors going on. The selection here was to bind those inherent flavors together with hebernero and allspice. Coriander, star anise, and fennel seed already have floral notes that create a bridge together the Sichuan and allspice. I decided to pull inspiration from Chinese five-spice, utilising some of the flavors from the blend.

Broiling the onion and habanero

This is a little technique we’re using to bring about a bit more dry smoky notes. The onions and the hebernero develop a little extra depth from the char. This step is optional, though. It won’t make or break your mapo tofu. I enjoy adding a little extra char to produce for extra complexity. Using the broiler on a home oven is a great way to achieve this. You’re blessed gas range or have a grill attachment there, plop these on there. A little touch of flame is going to transform these ingredients.

What the heck is Douchi and Doubanjang?

Douchi and Do Ban Jiang are two fermented products used in Sichuan recipes.

Douchi are fermented black beans. It can easily be mistaken for fermented black soybeans. Two different products, my friends. I know it gets confusing. When you look for these products you may find a paste and a non-paste version. For this recipe, I use the whole black bean version.

The doubanjiang is a little easier to find but goes by a few names: Douban, Toban Djan, Broadbean Chili Paste, Fermented Chili Bean Paste. The fancier of this ingredient being labeled Pixan, A Town in Sichuan known for the highest quality Doubanjiang. It’s kinda like the cognac of Doucanjiang.

This whole process is kind of like a scavenger hunt in the grocery store. If it’s your first time making this, and you’re unfamiliar with the ingredients, I suggest making it a fun two-day process. Use one day to explore your local asian grocery store. Take your time, read the labels, maybe get a little fun bevy. Then plan out another day to make your Mapo Tofu. The first couple of times I made Mapo, it was intimidating, but now it’s like riding a bike. With all that exploration, we now have this recipe.

Full Mapo Tofu Recipe on Substack

https://anferneemilton.substack.com/p/mapo-tofu-but-caribbean