Mapo tofu comes from the sichuan province of china, it consists of pieces of soft silky tofu floating in this spicy sauce which contains Sichuan peppercorns, spicy
broad bean paste and
beef as the main ingredients .when it is finished cooking it should have that characteristic chilli oil on top, ahh! soo good
But here of course we will be replacing the beef with
'mock meat' granules or you can also use vegan ground 'beef' if your store carries it.
Trust me this dish is so comforting with those warm pieces of tofu floating in this chilli sauce number that it will even brighten the darkest of the days.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Tofu: In this recipe we will be using soft silken tofu or dessert tofu as that is what is traditionally used but if you want you can use semi firm tofu as well but you have to give it a go with the silken tofu as the texture of it is out of this world.
Beef: For the beef we will be using mock meat granules or vegan ground beef to give some body to the spicy sauce.
Sichuan peppercorns: these peppercorns come in green and red varieties ,either of them will work for this recipe. you can find them online or in a asian market.
These gives that numbing sensation on your tongue that this dish is known for, you can put as much of these peppercorns as you like.
Douban jiang or spicy broad bean paste: These are basically fermented broad beans in chilli paste ,you can try to find them online or you can skip them if you can't find them just like I did.
CUISINE:CHINESE
SERVING:4
TOTAL TIME:60MINS
COURSE:MAIN COURSE
RECIPE OF VEGAN MAPO TOFU
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2tbsp soy bean oil or any other flavourless oil
350g silken tofu
100g vegan ground beef
1tsp of sichuan peppercorns, toasted and pounded
soy sauce as per taste
2inch ginger,finely chopped
4cloves garlic,finely chopped
1/2tsp black pepper powder
2tbsp Broad bean paste
1cup vegetable stock or water,you may need more
1 1/2tsp sugar
1tbsp cornstarch
3tbsp spring onion greens
salt as per taste
INSTRUCTIONS
In a wok heat oil on medium low heat.
Add your ginger and garlic and sauté until lightly golden in colour, add black pepper powder and Sichuan peppercorns and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add broad bean paste and cook for 2minutes.
Add your vegan ground beef and brown for about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add your stock, salt, sugar and soy sauce all at once to the wok and simmer on low for about 15minutes.
Mix your cornstarch with 2tbsps of water and add this slurry to the wok to thicken the sauce slightly, bring everything to a boil.
Add your tofu and simmer for about 5mins.
serve hot garnished with spring onion greens with rice on the side ,BON APPETITE!!