Mapo Tofu (Sichuan Tofu in Chili Bean Sauce)

Doubanjiang is a thick, salty paste of fermented broad beans and chili, the backbone of Sichuan cooking and the single most important ingredient here. The best is Pixian doubanjiang, aged anywhere from a few months to several years, with older pastes tasting deeper and less raw. There's no real substitute — gochujang or generic chili sauce taste completely different. Look for jars labelled broad bean paste or chili bean sauce at an Asian grocer, and taste before seasoning, as brands vary widely in salt and heat.

Blanching silken or soft tofu in salted water for a couple of minutes does two things: it seasons the bland interior slightly, and it firms up the outer layer so the cubes hold their shape while simmering and being moved around in the sauce. Skipping it usually means the tofu breaks down into a mush. Keep the water at a bare simmer rather than a rolling boil, and drain the cubes gently — they're fragile until they've set.

Má là (麻辣) is the signature Sichuan flavour pairing: 'má' is the tingling, buzzing numbness from Sichuan peppercorn, and 'là' is the burning heat from chili. They're two separate sensations that play off one another. To get it right, toast whole Sichuan peppercorns, grind them fresh, and sprinkle them on off the heat at the end — cooking them into the sauce dulls the numbing effect. Adjust the chili and peppercorn independently to shift the balance.

Yes, and it works well. Replace the pork with finely chopped shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated dried mushrooms, or a plant-based mince, and use vegetable stock or mushroom stock instead of chicken stock. The mushrooms give a meaty texture and umami that stands in convincingly. Check your doubanjiang label, as most versions are vegetarian, and use a little more fermented black beans for savoury depth if you like. The flavour still comes mainly from the paste and peppercorn.

It's usually not gluten-free: most doubanjiang contains wheat flour, as do many soy sauces, so check labels or seek out gluten-free versions if you need them. As for heat, it's meant to be genuinely spicy, but you control it — the doubanjiang brings salt and moderate heat while the chili flakes carry most of the burn, so reduce or omit the flakes for a milder version. Serve with plenty of plain rice, which balances both the salt and the spice.