What is Doubanjiang?
Sometimes, with authentic recipes, there’s that one ingredient that you have to search far and wide for. You’ll be searching the aisles wondering, is this worth it? I’m here to tell you that it is! Doubanjiang is a spicy fermented mix of soy and broad beans. It’s been called the soul of Sichuan cooking and it’s what will give your mapo tofu that glorious red hue. When shopping, you want to look for the Pixian (an area in China) variety if you can. It’s kind of like how, if you can, you want to buy champagne from the Champagne region in France. But, like champagne, if you can only find sparkling wine, don’t sweat it, Lee Kum Kee also sells a serviceable easier to find Cantonese style doubanjiang that they call chili bean sauce/toban djan.
Buy it online
Doubanjiang on Amazon
Substitute with
Toban Djan, or in a pinch: a 50/50 mix of red miso and chili flakes.
Recipes that use Doubanjiang
How to Make Mapo Tofu
Mapo Tofu Waffle Recipe
