Search for the Best Mapo Tofu: Teriyaki Boy's Mapo Tofu Don

One Chinese cuisine I never get tired of eating the simple, spicy mapo tofu.  Mapo tofu, also spelled mabo tofu or mapo doufu, is a Sichuan cuisine composed of tofu, chili and bean-based sauce and minced meat.  I liked it so much that sometimes, we have this dish at home albeit in a non-spicy form.

Whenever I'm in a Chinese or Chinese-inspired restaurant, the first item I look for is this simple dish.  Strangely though, most of the Chinese restaurants I've eaten in do not carry this classic dish in their menus.  They do have other tofu-based items in there, but in my opinion, not as good as the mapo tofu.

Strangely, one rendition of the mapo tofu that I really liked is not found in a Chinese store, but rather in a Japanese fast food chain called Teriyaki Boy.  Called Mabo Tofu Don, they combined it with rice to make it a more complete meal for Php 160.  Since it is served in an oversized rice bowl, Teriyaki Boy added "don" (short for donburi which means bowl in Japanese) to the name of the dish.  Don't fret though if you are on a no rice diet as this dish is also offered as an appetizer without the rice for Php 135.

To deviate from the regular, firm tofu commonly used in this dish and inject the Japanese style into the dish, Teriyaki Boy uses the silken tofu variant.  Due to this, their tofu melts in your mouth.  It is different, yes, but effective as it blends well with their broth.  

Speaking of their broth, it is spicy.  I can actually make out the bits of red chili mixed in the broth.  However, despite me not having the best resistance against spicy foods, I can actually eat this without drinking any water as the Japanese rice provides the perfect cushion against the sting of the sauce.

Their ground pork had a rough, but soft texture that provides a good contrast to the Japanese-style tofu.  Perhaps to combat the possibility of one getting a bit "sick" of the taste of the spicy concoction after a couple of spoonfuls, Teriyaki Boy placed leeks on top to give a mild onion-like kick to the dish.  These leeks further enhance the flavor of the entire dish, similar to how onions make corned beef taste better. 

The silken tofu blends well with the ground pork, spicy broth and leeks. 

I like how they served the dish as they divided the bowl into half with rice on one side and the mabo tofu in the other.  This way, you can control the amount of mabo tofu and rice on your spoon easily especially since it is a spicy product.  After all, not all of us are born with iron-cast tongues!

Know any other restaurants that serve Mapo Tofu?  Hit them up in the comments section, and they may get featured here in Captured with a Mobile!

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* Captured with a Nokia N82