Mabo Don

For a hearty, meaty meal with a spicy kick, it’s hard to beat mabo don. Part of the donburi family (one-bowl rice dishes with meat and vegetables), mabo don is a mixture of spicy ground beef, tofu and spices, inspired by the hot and spicy “mabo” dishes of Sichuan Province in China. Enjoy this dish for lunch or as a light dinner, perhaps with a plate of gyoza on the side.

• 100 g of ground beef
• 1 package of mabo tofu frying sauce
• 1 package of firm tofu
• 4 spring onions
• 1 teaspoon of la-yu chili oil (optional)
• 600g rice

Of course, to prepare the donburi base, you will need some cooked Japanese rice. Just follow our online recipe to get this basic ingredient right there.

Now the rice is cooking, let’s prepare our mabo tofu topping. You should start by cutting the tofu into small cubes. Then take a pan and cook the ground beef with a tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Once the meat is browned, remove excess oil from the pan and add Mabo Tofu Stir-Fry sauce. Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce begins to bubble slightly. You can then add la-yu chili oil if you want an extra fiery kick.

Finally, add tofu cubes and gently mix with the sauce. Simmer for a few minutes, then remove from heat and pour evenly into bowls of freshly steamed rice. Finally, sprinkle one finely chopped scallion on top of each bowl to serve.

Tips and information
• If you are not using the recommended mabo tofu sauce for frying, please see the directions on the packaging or on the product page on our website.
• Each mabo tofu stir-fry sauce has a different level of spiciness, try to find the one that works best for you.
• You can also use ground pork or chicken (or no meat at all). Then you can replace it with shiitake mushrooms, eggplant or other vegetables of your choice.