15 Minute Mapo Tofu
Corey Wong
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Total Cost: ~$14.00 | Serves: 3–4 | Time: 15–20 mins
This recipe is my go-to for when I’m craving something spicy, comforting, and filling—but I’m too broke and busy to cook from scratch. I used the House Foods Mapo Tofu Hot Sauce packet from H-Mart to make things easy, and just jazzed it up with some ground pork, rice, scallions, and chili oil. It's cheap, fast, and hits every time.
Ingredients + Where I Got Them
| Ingredient | Store | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| House Foods Mapo Tofu Hot Sauce (1 pack) | H-Mart | $2.99 |
| Ground pork (1 lb) | Lidl | $3.99 |
| Green onions (1 bunch) | Lidl | $0.89 |
| White rice (5 lb bag, used ~1 cup) | H-Mart | ~$0.60 |
| Chili oil (Laoganma or similar, 7 oz jar) | H-Mart | $4.99 |
| Soft tofu (optional if not included in sauce pack) | H-Mart | $1.49 |
Note: Some House Foods packets already include tofu. If yours didn’t, I used one block of soft tofu from H-Mart for an extra ~$1.49.
Instructions
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Cook the Rice
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Rinse 1 cup of white rice until the water runs mostly clear. Add it to a rice cooker with 1.25 cups of water.
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If you don't have a rice cooker, add 1 cup rice + 1.25 cups water to a pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
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Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, for 5-10 mins.
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Prep Your Ingredients
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Dice 1 bunch of green onions and set aside.
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If using separate tofu, cut one block into bite-sized cubes and gently pat dry.
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Brown the Pork
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Heat 1 tbsp of any oil in a pan over medium-high. I usually just spray avocado oil if I have it though.
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Add ~½ lb of ground pork (you can freeze the other half for later) and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks.
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Add the Sauce
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Pour in the House Foods Mapo Tofu sauce packet and stir into the pork.
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If using separate tofu, gently fold it into the sauce now and let it simmer for 5 minutes so it soaks up the flavor.
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Garnish & Serve
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Plate the cooked rice and spoon the Mapo Tofu mixture on top.
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Drizzle with chili oil for heat and top with green onions.
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Price Breakdown (Per Serving)
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Mapo Tofu sauce: $2.99
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Ground pork (½ lb): $1.99
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Rice (1 cup dry): $0.60
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Green onion: $0.89 (used ~half, so ~$0.45)
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Chili oil: ~$0.50 worth used
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Total per serving: ~$6.55
Final Thoughts
This is honestly one of the cheapest and easiest meals I’ve made in my Manhattan dorm kitchen. The House Foods sauce saves time and still gives solid flavor, and you can scale up or down depending on how broke you are that week. Want to bulk it out more? Add mushrooms, eggplant, or cabbage from your fridge!
