I’ve made some changes to this recipe since I first published it in 2019 because my tastes change! Over the past few years, I’ve prepared this mapo tofu with more varieties of doubanjiang with varying levels of saltiness. One batch was so salty that I decided to dial back on the doubanjiang specified in this recipe. I also removed the black bean and garlic sauce, though you can add a teaspoon or two of it, if you like. Black bean and garlic sauce is a bit salty as well, so you may want to reduce the doubanjiang.I’ve also added diced shiitake mushrooms to give the dish more substance. If you are not a fan of mushrooms, leave them out or use 2/3 cup of finely diced bell peppers or even jicama if you want some crunch. Finally, we all have different tolerance levels for spice. The recipe here should yield a dish that has a medium level of spice. Feel free to reduce or add spice to this dish by adjusting the amount of Sichuan peppercorns or ginger; you can also use chili flakes that are spicier than gochugaru. See note 3 for more guidance about chili flakes.