Vegan Mapo Tofu – Connoisseurus Veg

This vegan mapo is filled with fiery taste! Made with smoky shiiitake mushrooms and silken tofu in spicy sauce, it tastes prefer it got here out of your favourite Chinese language restaurant, however is definitely very easy to make at dwelling.

I might been itching to strive mapo tofu for the longest time. It is a kind of dishes that is sort of a tease when you’re vegan, as a result of whereas it’s a tofu dish, it is not usually vegan. Typical mapo tofu is made with floor pork or beef.

I used to be only in the near past lucky sufficient to discover a restaurant with vegan mapo tofu on the menu, and let me inform you, it was some severely spicy deliciousness. That individual model of vegan mapo tofu merely omitted the meat. I made a decision to create a model at dwelling, however with a stand-in for the meat, within the type of some finely minced smoky shiitake mushrooms. They labored very well in my vegan wonton soup, and as soon as once more did the job fantastically right here.

In the event you’ve by no means had mapo tofu earlier than, be warned: it’s spicy! The dried chilis, Szechuan peppercorns, and spicy bean paste all contribute to the warmth stage of this dish, and when you might cut back or eradicate all or any of those substances, you’d even be sacrificing taste. In the event you’re in search of a milder Chinese language-inspired tofu dish, contemplate making an attempt my tofu stir-fry or sticky sesame tofu as a substitute.

How It is Made

The next is an in depth photograph tutorial on easy methods to make this dish. Scroll all the best way down if you would like to skip proper to the recipe!

Finely cube up your shiitake mushrooms. You will need the items to be a couple of quarter inch, however do not be too fussy about it.

Grind up your Szechuan peppercorns. You need to use a mortar and pestle, like I am doing, or place them right into a pepper grinder.

Ensure you get your whole different prep work achieved earlier than you start cooking. This consists of mincing the garlic, grating the ginger, chopping the chili peppers, and dicing the tofu. You will additionally have to stir the chilly water and cornstarch collectively to type a slurry, which we’ll use to thicken the sauce.

Warmth half of your oil in a wok, then add your diced shiitake mushrooms, together with the liquid smoke when you’re utilizing it. Cook dinner the mushrooms for a couple of minutes, till they begin to shrink and brown in spots.

Elevate the warmth a bit and add the remainder of your oil to the wok. Now add the dried chiles, and stir-fry them with the mushrooms for a couple of minutes, till they simply begin to darken.

Tip: A wok is the perfect cooking vessel for this dish, however a big skillet will do the job in a pinch. You might want to extend the warmth ranges barely.

Push all the pieces to the facet to make some house for the garlic and ginger, then add the garlic and ginger. Sauté them briefly, stirring continually, as they generally tend to burn.

Stir all the pieces as much as combine the garlic and ginger with the mushrooms and peppers. Make some more room within the heart of the wok, then add your Szechuan peppercorns and toast them for a minute.

Fastidiously add broth or water, soy sauce, and doubanjiang to the wok. Deliver the liquid to a simmer and let it prepare dinner for a couple of minute.

Now add the cornstarch slurry to the wok. Stir it in, then convey it to a simmer. The sauce ought to thicken up in a short time.

Add your diced silken tofu to the wok, then gently stir it in with the opposite substances. Be tremendous cautious right here, because the tofu items can simply break. Cook dinner all the pieces for an additional minute, simply to warmth up the tofu.

Take the wok off of warmth and stir within the sesame oil. Give the tofu a taste-test. You possibly can add extra soy sauce if you would like, or make another seasoning changes to fit your style. High the tofu with some chopped scallions.

Your vegan mapo tofu is prepared! Dish it up and serve it with some cooked rice.

Extra Chinese language Tofu Recipes

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Vegan Mapo Tofu

This vegan mapo is filled with fiery taste! Made with smoky shiiitake mushrooms and silken tofu in spicy sauce, it tastes prefer it got here out of your favourite Chinese language restaurant, however is definitely very easy to make at dwelling.

Components

• ¼
  cup
  chilled water
• 2
  teaspoons
  cornstarch
• 4
  tablespoons
  peanut oil,
  divided
• 8
  ounces
  contemporary shiitake mushrooms,
  stems eliminated, caps finely chopped
• ½
  teaspoon
  liquid smoke,
  elective
• 5
  dried chili peppers,
  roughly chopped (Observe 1), plus extra to style, as much as 10 peppers
• 5
  garlic cloves,
  minced
• 1
  tablespoon
  freshly grated ginger
• 1
  tablespoon
  Szechuan peppercorns,
  floor utilizing a mortar and pestle or pepper grinder
• ½
  cup
  vegetable broth,
  or water
• 3
  tablespoons
  soy sauce
• 1
  tablespoon
  doubanjiang (Chinese language spicy broad bean paste),
  plus as much as 1 extra tablespoon if desired
• 2
  (12.3 ounce/349 gram) packages
  agency or further agency silken tofu,
  diced (about ½ inch)
• 1
  teaspoon
  toasted sesame oil
• 2
  scallions,
  chopped
• Cooked rice,
  for serving

Directions

1. Stir the chilly water and cornstarch collectively in a small bowl or cup. Set the combination apart.

2. Warmth 2 tablespoons of the oil in a big wok over medium warmth. Add the mushrooms and liquid smoke, if utilizing. Cook dinner the mushrooms for about 4 minutes, stirring them often, till they grow to be tender and shrink barely.

3. Elevate the warmth to medium-high. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the wok. Add the chili peppers. Stir-fry the peppers with the mushrooms for about 1 minute, simply till they start to darken in coloration.

4. Push the mushrooms and chili peppers to the facet, then add the garlic and ginger to the wok, within the house you simply cleared. Sauté the garlic and ginger for about 30 seconds, stirring continually to keep away from burning.

5. Stir the garlic and ginger in with the mushrooms and chilis, then push all the pieces to the edges of the wok once more. Add the Szechuan peppercorns to the newly cleared house. Toast the peppercorns for about 1 minute, stirring continually.

6. Fastidiously add the broth or water, soy sauce, and doubanjiang to the wok. Ensure that to pour the broth or water and soy sauce slowly over the mushroom combination, because the liquid will sputter if it hits the new cooking floor. Stir all the pieces collectively and permit the combination to simmer for a couple of minute.

7. Stir within the cornstarch and chilly water combination. Deliver the liquid again to a simmer. Inside a couple of seconds it is best to see the liquid begin to thicken barely.

8. Fastidiously stir within the tofu, being very light to keep away from breaking the tofu cubes. Permit the combination to simmer for a couple of minute, then take away the wok from warmth.

9. Gently stir within the sesame oil.

10. Style-test the tofu and add extra soy sauce if desired. Sprinkle with scallions and serve over rice.

Recipe Notes

1. You possibly can cut back the warmth stage of this dish barely by eradicating the seeds from the peppers. When chopping them, merely shake the seeds out after making the primary reduce. The dish will nonetheless be fairly scorching.
2. Diet info doesn’t embody rice.

Diet Information

Vegan Mapo Tofu

Quantity Per Serving

Energy 278
Energy from Fats 171

% Each day Worth*

Fats 19g29%

Saturated Fats 3g15%

Polyunsaturated Fats 7g

Monounsaturated Fats 7g

Sodium 1048mg44%

Potassium 608mg17%

Carbohydrates 16g5%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 306IU6%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 84mg8%

Iron 3mg17%

* % Each day Values are based mostly on a 2000 calorie food regimen.