Recipe: Appetizing Vegan Mapo Tofu

Vegan Mapo Tofu. Ready in minutes, this vegan mapo tofu relies on a show-stopping sauce of fermented black beans, chili bean paste, and Sichuan peppercorns. Mapo tofu is a justly popular menu item in many Chinese restaurants It is a quickly cooked dish of braised tofu with minced pork (sometimes beef) in a bracing spicy sauce made with fermented black beans and fermented broad bean paste, along with hot red pepper and Sichuan pepper This meatless version with fresh shiitake mushrooms is completely satisfying, and surprisingly easy to make The result is a vegetarian/vegan dish that hasn't sacrificed a bit of umami! This vegan mapo tofu recipe is very similar to our ever-popular traditional mapo tofu.

Typically, mapo tofu is made with ground pork. In this vegan mapo tofu recipe, I omitted the pork and used a generous amount of fermented bean pastes to give the dish flavor. One of them is doubanjiang (豆瓣醬), a Sichuan-style sauce made with fermented broad beans/fava beans. You can cook Vegan Mapo Tofu using 20 ingredients and 10 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Vegan Mapo Tofu

1. Prepare of For the Sauce:.
2. You need 3 tbsp. of Gochujang OR.
3. You need 1 tbsp. of each Fermented Bean Paste and Fermented Chili Paste.
4. You need 1 tbsp. of Mirin or other sweet cooking wine.
5. Prepare 2 tbsp. of Rice Wine Vinegar.
6. It's 2 tbsp. of Soy sauce.
7. You need 1/2 cup of Vegetable or other Stock.
8. Prepare of For the Tofu:.
9. It's 1 tbsp. of Coconut Oil.
10. Prepare 1/2 cup of minced fresh Shiitake Mushrooms OR.
11. It's 1/2 cup of dried Shiitake Mushrooms, rehydrated in hot water for 10 min. and rinsed.
12. Prepare 1/2 cup of chopped Green Onions, white and green parts separated.
13. Prepare 3-4 cloves of minced Garlic.
14. It's 1-2 tbsp. of minced Ginger.
15. You need 2-3 of dried Chili Peppers, any variety OR.
16. You need 2-3 tbsp. of Red Pepper Flakes.
17. It's 1 package of Firm or Extra Firm Tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
18. Prepare 1 tbsp. of Corn Starch dissolved in 1-2 tbsp. water.
19. You need 1/2 tbsp. of Sesame Oil (optional).
20. Prepare 1-2 tbsp. of Sesame or Caraway Seeds for garnish (optional).

Not only is the vegan version healthier and lower in saturated fat, it's also more pleasurable on a textural level. Both versions contain leeks, garlic and ginger but herein lies the biggest difference; the meat version uses water or chicken broth while vegan mapo tofu uses mushroom broth. Heat oil over high heat until lightly smoking. Add garlic, ginger, scallion whites, chives, and yacai (if using).

Vegan Mapo Tofu instructions

1. Bring 3-4 cups of water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Slide in the chopped tofu and simmer for 10 minutes..
2. Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside..
3. While the tofu cooks, sauté the garlic, ginger, and the whites of the onions over medium-high heat until fragrant (1-2 minutes)..
4. Add the mushrooms to the pan and continue cooking until soft..
5. Once the mushrooms are done, add the sauce mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer..
6. Strain the poached tofu and gently fold it into the sauce..
7. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent burning..
8. Gently stir in the corn starch and sesame oil, and cook until the sauce becomes thick and shiny (3-5 minutes)..
9. Serve over white rice or plain greek yogurt..
10. Granish with the green parts of the onions, and sesame or caraway seeds (optional)..

Not So Spicy Vegan Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐 is a classic Chinese Cantonese dish. It is one of my childhood favourite comfort homecooked dishes. For a healthier take on Mapo Tofu, try Mapo Tofu with mushrooms. This healthy vegetarian recipe is good for anyone looking to have a flavorful vegetarian meal. This vegetarian mapo tofu is so easy to make and irresistibly delicious.