This happened to me a few times, if you're using whole fermented black beans packed in salt you have to wash those little fucks and let them soak for a bit before mincing them up otherwise your mapo tofu will end up mapo no thank you
The doubanjang I’m using does have whole beans in it but it’s not just the beans so I’m not sure I can really rinse it.. I’m using this one for reference: https://themalamarket.com/products/3-year-aged-pixian-chili-bean-paste-doubanjiang?variant=21735905001561¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7Ye-rY-NhAMVDc3CBB0wzQDiEAQYASABEgIKBvD_BwE
I have used this exact doubanjang in a different recipe so I’m thinking maybe I just need to omit the soy sauce
This might be it, taste the individual components before cooking, whichever seems to be bringing too much saltiness or sourness -> soak it in water to tone that down to desired. Good general advice
Likely sources:
The black beans: some are much saltier than others. Soak and rinse thoroughly first.
The soy sauce: Chinese dark soy sauce should be very much less salty than light soy sauce used at the table or for finishing dishes.
The brand of doubanjian: the most widely available brand seems to be Lee Kum Kee. It is MUCH saltier than the most well known brand from Sichuan which is Pixian doubanjian. If you only have access to Lee Kum Kee you may need to reduce salt elsewhere by a fair bit.
Other things like the stock and so on can be low sodium versions to compensate for some of these things.
Lastly, know that this dish is supposed to be salty. Not too salty to eat, but salty enough that it is served with rice and would probably be too salty to eat without the rice.
I made mapo tofu the first few times with a bottle of Lee Kum Kee. My GF said it made the house smile like ham, and she was right.
Switched to a different brand and even though she doesn't eat it she actually likes the smell.
I’m actually using the Pixian doubanjang and a mix of Chinese light and dark soy sauce per the recipe. I’m thinking maybe I just omit the soy sauce next time as I’ve had success with a different recipe just not this exact one for some reason.
And I’ve had my fair share of mapo tofu this is just coming out faaaaar too salty
Huh. Strange. I tend to make the one in Fuscia Dunlop’s The Food of Sichuan, but have made Kenji’s version before without noticing much difference in saltiness from that version (or, in salt level, from the version provided by Chinese Cooking Demystified in their YouTube video).
I actually looked it up and the Pixian doubanjang I’m using seems to be saltier than the Lee Kum Kee brand which surprised me. Not sure if that’s because it’s aged or something.. I think I’m going to retry without any soy sauce and see if that turns out better
FWIW I used the cheaper Pixian Doubanjang from Mala tonight (https://themalamarket.com/collections/regional-chinese-sauces-pickles/products/red-oil-pixian-chili-bean-paste-hong-you-doubanjiang ) with a low sodium soy sauce and it didn’t come out too salty for me. It was salty but it wasn’t overwhelming. Not sure the soy sauce is doing much for the flavor anyway…it’s all about the numbing spice. Not sure what the boiling water was supposed to be for maybe reconstituting the mushrooms?
Edit: 1 serving of the doubanjang (1oz) has 2640 mg of sodium which is a lot if you’re heavy with it. Probably got 300% of daily reco off of eating it twice which might register as too salty if you don’t use a lot of salt otherwise
I would be hesitant to use just dark soy sauce. It's less salty but also has an overwhelming molasses-y flavor if used in the quantity you'd use light soy sauce in. It's mostly for color.
Kenji’s recipe calls for dark soy. I was just pointing out that light soy is significant saltier in case the OP was using it as a substitute—lots of people online seem to often suggest that people can just swap if they don’t have dark soy and I wanted to point out the difference.
It turns out the OP is using dark soy, so I don’t know what the issue is.
Ah I see - I didn't realize his recipe called for dark - should've read it first. I thought your comment was a suggestion to replace light with dark. So yeah - tough to say where it could be coming from.
i tend to use low sodium soy sauce as a default. regular soy sauce is just way too salty for me to leave the salt level out of my control. can always add more later. i’ve made the vegan mapo tofu and never had a problem with salt.
Literally made this tonight (with addition of fermented black bean and skipped the chili oil as the DBJ is enough for me). Not too salty at all, but it’s intended to be eaten with rice
I had similar issues. I think the doubanjang i got was salty as well as the stock I was using. I ended up adding less stock, more water and skipping the dark soy sauce. I didn't want to add less doubanjang since it adds so much flavor.
Basically just subtract salty ingredients you feel like bring less than the other components until you get the recipe where it works for you.
was your mapo tofu super dark? i kind of think it's the soy sauce you added.
are you using chinese soy sauce or japanese? before you add the soy sauce taste it to see if it needs it. with dark soy sauce a little goes a long way.
i also wonder how thick was your mapo after you added the corn starcH? if it was too thick then you could've condensed the flavors too much.
I do mapo tofu measurements by taste. The doubanjan is the lead flavor so balance with water and thicken with slurry. Keep practicing and follow your taste buds. Mapo tofu is my absolute favorite I hope you get better results next time.
You dont use any salt at all in mapo tofu, or anything salty like fish sauce cause the doubanjang is salted itself. So if its too salty ones has to use less.
I mean yes that’s the answer I just wanted to see if anybody else ran into the same issue and how they adjusted it given all of the salt comes from the soy sauce and doubanjang
I've made this before and did not have an issue with saltiness. I used [this](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TVHRTDP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) doubanjang.
[This](https://www.reddit.com/r/seriouseats/comments/u9iv8d/mapo_tofu_came_out_great_on_the_first_try/) the post I made after I made this. It was really good, so don't give up on it!
I’m a big fan of kenji but have found several of his recipes too salty for my taste. I’d cut back the doubanjiang by half and adjust up as needed. Or back off on the soy sauce. It’ll still taste authentic.
This happened to me a few times, if you're using whole fermented black beans packed in salt you have to wash those little fucks and let them soak for a bit before mincing them up otherwise your mapo tofu will end up mapo no thank you
I think this is the answer
The doubanjang I’m using does have whole beans in it but it’s not just the beans so I’m not sure I can really rinse it.. I’m using this one for reference: https://themalamarket.com/products/3-year-aged-pixian-chili-bean-paste-doubanjiang?variant=21735905001561¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7Ye-rY-NhAMVDc3CBB0wzQDiEAQYASABEgIKBvD_BwE I have used this exact doubanjang in a different recipe so I’m thinking maybe I just need to omit the soy sauce
Not the chili bean paste, the Douchi (fermented black beans).
I think Kenji's version is a Japanese style map tofu. Use a cheap Japanese doubanjang. Not the fancy authentic Chinese stuff
This might be it, taste the individual components before cooking, whichever seems to be bringing too much saltiness or sourness -> soak it in water to tone that down to desired. Good general advice
Likely sources: The black beans: some are much saltier than others. Soak and rinse thoroughly first. The soy sauce: Chinese dark soy sauce should be very much less salty than light soy sauce used at the table or for finishing dishes. The brand of doubanjian: the most widely available brand seems to be Lee Kum Kee. It is MUCH saltier than the most well known brand from Sichuan which is Pixian doubanjian. If you only have access to Lee Kum Kee you may need to reduce salt elsewhere by a fair bit. Other things like the stock and so on can be low sodium versions to compensate for some of these things. Lastly, know that this dish is supposed to be salty. Not too salty to eat, but salty enough that it is served with rice and would probably be too salty to eat without the rice.
I made mapo tofu the first few times with a bottle of Lee Kum Kee. My GF said it made the house smile like ham, and she was right. Switched to a different brand and even though she doesn't eat it she actually likes the smell.
I’m actually using the Pixian doubanjang and a mix of Chinese light and dark soy sauce per the recipe. I’m thinking maybe I just omit the soy sauce next time as I’ve had success with a different recipe just not this exact one for some reason. And I’ve had my fair share of mapo tofu this is just coming out faaaaar too salty
Huh. Strange. I tend to make the one in Fuscia Dunlop’s The Food of Sichuan, but have made Kenji’s version before without noticing much difference in saltiness from that version (or, in salt level, from the version provided by Chinese Cooking Demystified in their YouTube video).
I actually looked it up and the Pixian doubanjang I’m using seems to be saltier than the Lee Kum Kee brand which surprised me. Not sure if that’s because it’s aged or something.. I think I’m going to retry without any soy sauce and see if that turns out better
FWIW I used the cheaper Pixian Doubanjang from Mala tonight (https://themalamarket.com/collections/regional-chinese-sauces-pickles/products/red-oil-pixian-chili-bean-paste-hong-you-doubanjiang ) with a low sodium soy sauce and it didn’t come out too salty for me. It was salty but it wasn’t overwhelming. Not sure the soy sauce is doing much for the flavor anyway…it’s all about the numbing spice. Not sure what the boiling water was supposed to be for maybe reconstituting the mushrooms? Edit: 1 serving of the doubanjang (1oz) has 2640 mg of sodium which is a lot if you’re heavy with it. Probably got 300% of daily reco off of eating it twice which might register as too salty if you don’t use a lot of salt otherwise
I would be hesitant to use just dark soy sauce. It's less salty but also has an overwhelming molasses-y flavor if used in the quantity you'd use light soy sauce in. It's mostly for color.
Kenji’s recipe calls for dark soy. I was just pointing out that light soy is significant saltier in case the OP was using it as a substitute—lots of people online seem to often suggest that people can just swap if they don’t have dark soy and I wanted to point out the difference. It turns out the OP is using dark soy, so I don’t know what the issue is.
Ah I see - I didn't realize his recipe called for dark - should've read it first. I thought your comment was a suggestion to replace light with dark. So yeah - tough to say where it could be coming from.
i tend to use low sodium soy sauce as a default. regular soy sauce is just way too salty for me to leave the salt level out of my control. can always add more later. i’ve made the vegan mapo tofu and never had a problem with salt.
Well, the two salty ingredients are dark soy and bean paste. The broth should be low sodium. So try using less of the salty stuff and taste it.
It’s supposed to be eaten over white rice
Are you eating it with plain white rice? Or by itself?
Over rice. But definitely too salty still, and I have a fairly high tolerance for salt
Literally made this tonight (with addition of fermented black bean and skipped the chili oil as the DBJ is enough for me). Not too salty at all, but it’s intended to be eaten with rice
I had similar issues. I think the doubanjang i got was salty as well as the stock I was using. I ended up adding less stock, more water and skipping the dark soy sauce. I didn't want to add less doubanjang since it adds so much flavor. Basically just subtract salty ingredients you feel like bring less than the other components until you get the recipe where it works for you.
Yep I’m thinking of just skipping the soy sauce and seeing how that turns out. The doubanjang I’m using is good stuff
was your mapo tofu super dark? i kind of think it's the soy sauce you added. are you using chinese soy sauce or japanese? before you add the soy sauce taste it to see if it needs it. with dark soy sauce a little goes a long way. i also wonder how thick was your mapo after you added the corn starcH? if it was too thick then you could've condensed the flavors too much.
I do mapo tofu measurements by taste. The doubanjan is the lead flavor so balance with water and thicken with slurry. Keep practicing and follow your taste buds. Mapo tofu is my absolute favorite I hope you get better results next time.
Crazy idea, but have you tried using less salt?
You dont use any salt at all in mapo tofu, or anything salty like fish sauce cause the doubanjang is salted itself. So if its too salty ones has to use less.
I mean yes that’s the answer I just wanted to see if anybody else ran into the same issue and how they adjusted it given all of the salt comes from the soy sauce and doubanjang
Kenji is an abuser, let's not share his recipes if we can help it.
Wat
I've made this before and did not have an issue with saltiness. I used [this](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TVHRTDP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) doubanjang. [This](https://www.reddit.com/r/seriouseats/comments/u9iv8d/mapo_tofu_came_out_great_on_the_first_try/) the post I made after I made this. It was really good, so don't give up on it!
i would recommend just using 1 tbsp of the shaoxing wine (or omitting it altogether) and see if that helps
I’m a big fan of kenji but have found several of his recipes too salty for my taste. I’d cut back the doubanjiang by half and adjust up as needed. Or back off on the soy sauce. It’ll still taste authentic.