Taste-Testing 12 Store-Bought Mapo Tofu Sauces: The Top 3 Picks from Ryuji and Takeshi Takeshima

At the start of the recording, Takeshima revealed plans to release their own mapo tofu for online sale in mid-February. The package reads "Supervised by Takeshi Takeshima," and the product name is "10-Year Mapo Tofu." Takeshima had brought a frozen sample, so it was added to the comparison and saved for last.

The fact that Takeshima's channel had gone four months without an upload became a running joke. Ryuji teased that making your first video in ages a promo for your own product is "the typical path of a washed-up YouTuber." Takeshima said they somewhat regret naming the channel "Kiwami Meshi" ("ultimate meals"). They have a personal rule that they don't want to put out anything that isn't perfected, and that is what leads to the slow uploads.

First up were Marumiya's mapo tofu sauce mixes in Medium Hot and Hot. This type already contains ground meat, and it costs 198 yen. According to Ryuji, half the package is enough for one block of tofu, so it comes to about 100 yen per serving.

The first word out of both their mouths was "nostalgic." It's quite salty but easy to eat, and both said the Medium Hot and Hot versions have the same flavor direction. Ryuji said that precisely because authentic mapo is trendy right now, Marumiya's uniqueness stands out. It's cheap, low in calories, and nothing else tastes like it. Ryuji called this "cheapness in a good way" and rated it highly, saying there are times you just crave it. Takeshima, judging on taste alone, called it "just plain good."

Next came the Sichuan-style mapo tofu sauce from "Best Price," a private label of the Aeon group, and Ajinomoto's "Cook Do Sichuan-Style Mapo Tofu." Best Price was 118 yen, and Cook Do was 214 yen including tax. Comparing the prices this way, Ryuji reconsidered, saying that the first Marumiya might actually be impressive given that it even includes ground meat.

The cooking method was nearly identical: stir-fry the ground meat, turn off the heat, add the sauce, then add tofu and leeks. Ryuji also said that the value of mapo tofu sauce lies in saving you the trouble of gathering ingredients, and that if you're going to put in this much effort, you might as well make it yourself. The conversation shifted to Takeshima's recipe. It uses doubanjiang and other ingredients, so it tastes closer to a restaurant's version, but it takes effort. Ryuji said, "Takeshi's recipe is a hassle," and Takeshima replied, "Because it's Kiwami Meshi."

Of Best Price, the two said it has a homestyle, consistent flavor that kids would probably like. The aroma is authentic, but Takeshima said they wanted a bit more depth and more of a doubanjiang character. There was also a comment that it was like spicy ground meat with tofu, a little different from mapo. Even so, the two felt it wasn't bad for a 118-yen private label.

Cook Do, despite being made the same way, tasted completely different; the two said it had a grown-up flavor that departs somewhat from home cooking. Takeshima was surprised, saying, "I thought they'd be roughly the same, but they're totally different," and praised it highly, saying it would be quite hard to beat.

Between tastings, Takeshima explained the styles of mapo tofu. Sichuan-style centers on doubanjiang and is red and spicy. Takeshima said authentic versions in Sichuan don't even include tianmianjiang. Cantonese-style is somewhat sweeter, uses oyster sauce, and doesn't emphasize chili much. Ryuji added that Marumiya leans Cantonese and is mild in spiciness, and Takeshima agreed.

The third pair was Kaldi's original Black Mapo Tofu sauce and the mapo tofu sauce from "Life Premium," the upper tier of supermarket chain Life's private label. Life Premium cost 398 yen for two packets. Kaldi was introduced as having the highest per-packet price so far. The Kaldi version was made without leeks.

Life Premium uses Pixian doubanjiang. According to Takeshima, it's an aged doubanjiang that tastes completely different from regular doubanjiang, becoming mellower as it ages. Takeshima said their first mapo recipe used regular doubanjiang and Pixian doubanjiang half and half. Hearing this, Ryuji was surprised that such an authentic recipe got 3 million views. Ryuji's view is that a recipe won't rack up views unless it's easy to make, and Takeshima replied that Ryuji already covers the easy-to-make lane, so it would be pointless for Takeshima to do the same.

Of Kaldi's Black Mapo, the two said it had the strongest doubanjiang character so far, with depth that makes you want to keep drinking. Life Premium had a similar sense of ingredients but a completely different direction. In Takeshima's words, Life leads with salt and Kaldi leads with the sweetness of tianmianjiang, and each one goes all in. Rather than one being better, it's a matter of preference, they said.

When they went back to Cook Do for comparison, they once again noticed how strong the garlic was. Takeshima summed it up: if you want to taste garlic, go with Cook Do; if you want to taste doubanjiang, go with Kaldi. Takeshima said they now understood people who want to try every restaurant's mapo because each one tastes different. On rating Kaldi, Takeshima said, "In my heart, it's an S," and placed Cook Do at "A-plus territory." Ryuji named Kaldi the top so far, saying it goes well with "booze and rice." Takeshima added that cutting the tofu smaller brought out a stronger meatiness, which may have influenced the rating.

The two split on Life Premium. They said it comes down to whether you prefer something sweeter or a sharp saltiness. Takeshima said that lately they've been leaning toward salty seasoning with Pixian doubanjiang, and that this is what happens when you try to get closer to Sichuan. Ryuji said they had never tried a mapo tofu sauce with this flavor before, calling it quite unique and bold. Ryuji had thought of Life's private label as cheap and decent and hadn't rated it very highly until now, but said this exceeded that. Ryuji also joked that there must be "a real hardcore person" at Life.

Takeshima thinks Kaldi would probably appeal more to Japanese people in general. At the same time, Takeshima said they've eaten so much mapo at Chinese restaurants that they've already moved past Kaldi's flavor.

The fourth pair was Marumiya's premium line, "Zei wo Ajiwau Mapo Tofu Sauce," in Medium Hot and Hot. According to Ryuji, it was "the runaway No. 1" in a certain ranking, and it costs 248 yen. It contains ground meat and comes with Sichuan pepper powder. It reportedly uses three kinds of jiang. Since you simply add it with the tofu and throw in leeks, Ryuji rated it as possibly the easiest of the day.

When they tasted it, the two were surprised that it differed greatly from regular Marumiya, not just in thickness but in flavor; it was a different mapo altogether. Checking the ingredients, tianmianjiang was listed quite high, and it also contained oyster sauce. The Hot version was rated highly, and Takeshima said it was close to the premium version of Cook Do that would come up later.

What the two found lacking was the meat. Their impression was that if you're allowed to add just a bit of ground meat, it would be beyond criticism; Ryuji, conversely, said it was impressive that it tasted this good without adding meat. They believed it was the Hot version that took No. 1 in the ranking.

The fifth pair was Shinjuku Nakamuraya's "Honkaku Shisen: Mapo Tofu with Spreading Richness and Umami" (247 yen) and "Cook Do Kiwami (Premium) Mala Mapo Tofu" (378 yen). The premium Cook Do includes a step for pre-seasoning the ground meat, and the two agreed in unison that it was a real hassle. Ryuji explained that it does keep the meat from shrinking and firms it up, but said it's still a hassle. Takeshima retorted, "You can't become a culinary researcher if you think things are a hassle." This led to banter about who does and doesn't cook, with Ryuji jabbing that Takeshima never cooks at home and always has their wife do it.

While the Nakamuraya one was cooking, the two remarked that it smelled like keema curry and had a fishy aroma.

The premium version contains a substantial amount of Sichuan pepper, and Ryuji commented, "You can feel the intent to get closer to the real thing." Ryuji pointed to its commitment to Sichuan pepper and how well it recreates the separated oil, saying it's twice the price of the other sauces but delicious. Takeshima said, "After being made to eat it over and over, it's delicious," suggesting Ryuji had been recommending it for some time.

Both rated Nakamuraya on the low side. Checking the ingredients, they found XO sauce and shrimp seasoning and powder. The two guessed that was the source of the fishy smell, and found the taste sweet. Takeshima said it was too idiosyncratic to keep up with, comparing it to "late-period DIR EN GREY." Takeshima explained that the early work is easy to listen to, the middle period leans toward being cool, and the late period goes off the rails, but Ryuji replied, "I don't get it." The conclusion was that it's a bold product.

The last store-bought product was "Chen Mapo Tofu Seasoning," priced at 645 yen. The Sichuan pepper comes in a separate packet, and it calls for 120 g of ground meat and half a leek, a generous amount of leek. About stir-frying the leek first, Takeshima read it as "You can feel the intent to make scallion oil."

The two called it the edgiest flavor and said it leaned toward the authentic local style. Even Ryuji found the amount of Sichuan pepper quite large. Takeshima said, "I love it." Ryuji said it delivered the most numbing sensation of any of the packaged sauces, and also noted that since it comes in a pack of three, it works out cheaper than the premium version. Partway through eating, when it cooled down a bit, the two touched on the importance of temperature, saying it's better hot because the heat and spice come through more.

Alongside this, they also warmed Takeshima's frozen "10-Year Mapo Tofu" in hot water and ate it. It includes tofu, and the two said that regular tofu falls apart when frozen, so it uses tofu suited for freezing. Recreating the ideal flavor in frozen form was reportedly the difficult part.

Ryuji said, "It's delicious," but also offered some criticism. While acknowledging that achieving this level of numbing is difficult, Ryuji pointed out that the oil and the thickened sauce had become indistinguishable. Ryuji said that properly heating it in hot water should make the oil separate, so the heating instructions should be made clear. Takeshima responded, "You're way too harsh." Ryuji rated it an A, while Takeshima rated their own product S-plus. Takeshima said they're selling it with confidence no matter what friends say. Ryuji emphasized that they never said it was bad, and that an A means it's delicious.

For the final rankings, the frozen "10-Year Mapo Tofu" was excluded because the conditions were different. Ryuji added that it is easy, since you just heat it in hot water.

Ryuji's top 3 were: 3rd, Kaldi's Black Mapo; 2nd, Chen Mapo Tofu; and 1st, Cook Do Premium. Takeshima's ranking was exactly the same. Takeshima summarized the 1st and 2nd picks as flavors leaning toward the "local" style. While saying 3rd place comes down to preference, Takeshima cited Kaldi's pairing with alcohol and the convenience of not having to cut leeks as reasons for choosing it. Takeshima also added that if you like it sweeter, go with Kaldi, and if you prefer it spicier, there are other options.

Takeshima looked back on the episode as fun from the perspective of which one made them want to drink the most. Ryuji also said it was fun, and the two wrapped up by saying, "I could eat mapo forever" and "I felt the depth of mapo."