Ajinomoto Cook Do® Cantonese Mapo Tofu Sauce (広東式麻婆豆腐用) 125g is a ready-made base for Cantonese-style mapo tofu, built on the aroma and umami of rich oyster sauce for a mellow, deep-tasting finish. One 125 g pack makes 3–4 servings. Made in Japan at Ajinomoto's own plants in Kanagawa and Shizuoka, or at its partner plant in Mie.
About Ajinomoto
Ajinomoto (味の素株式会社) is one of Japan's foundational seasoning companies, founded 1909 by Saburosuke Suzuki II after Kikunae Ikeda's discovery of umami — the fifth taste — in 1908. The original Aji-no-moto (味の素, "essence of taste") seasoning launched in May 1909 as the world's first commercial umami seasoning. The portfolio now includes Hondashi (ほんだし) bonito dashi granules, the Cook Do® range of Chinese stir-fry sauces, Hi-Me (ハイミー) umami seasoning, and the Knorr-licensed cup-soup range.
Cantonese-style mapo tofu
Mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐) is a Sichuan-born dish of soft tofu and minced meat in a savoury, fermented-bean sauce, and it is cooked across China and Japan in regional styles. The Cantonese style (広東式) leans on oyster sauce for its savoury backbone rather than on the chilli oil and numbing Sichuan pepper (花椒) that define the Sichuan style — and this product's ingredient list contains no Sichuan pepper. Ajinomoto sells the Sichuan version (四川式) as a separate 106.5 g pack.
How to make Cantonese mapo tofu — Ajinomoto's recipe
Serves 3–4. You will need about 80 g pork mince, 1 block of tofu (about 350–400 g), about 30 g of leek (a third of a medium one), and 1 tablespoon of oil, plus this pack of sauce.
To prepare: cut the tofu into 1.5 cm cubes, blanch for about 2 minutes and drain. Finely chop the leek.
1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the pork mince over medium heat. Once cooked through, turn off the heat, add the Cook Do® sauce and mix well.
2. Add the tofu and stir over medium heat for about 3 minutes as it comes to a simmer.
3. Stir through the leek, and once everything is combined it is ready. Total cooking time is about 15 minutes.
Ingredients
Soy sauce (made in Japan), soybean oil, sugar, oyster sauce, vegetables (ginger, garlic), doubanjiang (broad-bean chilli paste), sesame oil, fermented seasoning, chicken extract, salt, starch, pork extract, chicken oil, green onion powder, hydrolysed protein, shiitake powder, la-jiang (chilli sauce) / thickener (processed starch, xanthan gum), seasoning (amino acids), paprika colour, acidulant. (Contains wheat, soy, chicken, pork and sesame.)
Allergens
Contains: wheat, soy, sesame, mollusc (oyster), chicken and pork. Ajinomoto's Japanese declaration lists wheat, soy, chicken, pork and sesame; mollusc is declared here because the product contains oyster sauce and molluscs are a mandatory declaration in Australia.
Nutrition (per 1 serving, 36 g)
Energy 48 kcal · Protein 0.9 g · Fat 3.1 g · Carbohydrate 4.1 g · Salt equivalent 1.4 g · Phosphorus 8.7 mg · Potassium 36.4 mg · Iodine 32.4 μg.
Important — please check the package label
While we make every effort to keep product information accurate and up to date, manufacturers may change formulations, packaging, allergens, ingredients, or specifications without notice. The actual product packaging is always the authoritative source. If you have specific concerns about allergens, ingredients, or any product detail, please contact us before purchase, or refer to the product packaging before consuming.
Cantonese-style mapo tofu sauce · 広東式麻婆豆腐用 · Ajinomoto Cook Do® range.
