When two of the best comfort foods on earth love each other very much, the result is this spicy, funky, cheesy, one-pot dinner. (Thank you to my husband for the inspired idea.) Mapo tofu–ifying the meaty base for Midwestern chili mac—as the name suggests, a cozy blend of chili and elbow macaroni—adds tons of savory heat. Melted cheddar provides a velvety texture, and the finishing touches (sour cream and even more cheese) are nonnegotiable.
Mapo tofu’s tingly heat comes from ground Sichuan peppercorns and doubanjiang, a fermented chili bean paste sometimes labeled “toban-djan” or just “douban.” Look for a darker colored product with the age on the label (like our favorite three-year-aged doubanjiang, available from Fly By Jing and the Mala Market). If your doubanjiang is lighter or redder in color and tastes fresh rather than fermented, you may need to use a bit more—up to ½ cup—to nail the spice levels in this recipe.
Sichuan peppercorns are worth seeking out; nothing comes close to approximating their floral spice and tingly heat. To use in this recipe (or any mapo tofu recipe), grind the whole peppercorns in a spice mill, with a mortar and pestle, or (my personal favorite) in a high-powered blender. Some of the coarser husk pieces will not break down to a fine powder but that’s okay—include them with the ground stuff when measuring amounts to get the full, lip-buzzing effect.
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What you’ll need
Dutch Oven
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Box Grater
$18 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
25 minutes
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Cook 12 oz. elbow macaroni in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions; drain and set aside.
Step 2
Meanwhile, remove dark green tops from 1 bunch scallions and thinly slice; set aside. Thinly slice white and pale green parts of scallions. Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Add white and pale green parts of scallions and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula, until slightly softened, 1–2 minutes. Add 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and one 2" piece ginger, peeled, finely grated, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 3
Add 1 lb. ground pork and 2 Tbsp. ground Sichuan peppercorns and cook, stirring and breaking up meat into smaller pieces, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add ⅓–½ cup doubanjiang (Sichuan-style fermented chili bean paste), depending on the intensity of your brand, and cook, stirring, until combined, about 1 minute. Add one 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes and 1 cup water. Reduce heat so chili is at a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until combined and slightly thickened, 8–10 minutes.
Step 4
Remove pot from heat; add 12 oz. sharp yellow cheddar, coarsely grated (about 1½ cups), 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, reserved pasta, and reserved dark green scallion tops and stir until cheese and butter are melted and ingredients are combined. Taste mapo chili mac and season with soy sauce if needed (your doubanjiang may be salty and savory enough without it).
Step 5
Ladle mapo chili mac into bowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream, more cheddar, and some thinly sliced scallion tops; sprinkle with more ground Sichuan peppercorns.
Recipe notes
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