Vegan Mapo Tofu

David Tanis

• Yield 4 to 6 servings
• Time 30 minutes

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. 

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. For the best texture, use soft tofu rather than firm, taking care to cook it gently to keep it from crumbling.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms
• 2 cups water
• 15 ounce block of soft tofu (do not use silken)
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 small dried hot red peppers
• 1 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon fermented spicy broad bean paste (doubanjiang)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon finely ground Sichuan pepper
• 1 tablespoon corn- or potato starch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water
• ½ cup slivered scallions, both white and green parts
• Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Preparation

1. Remove stems from mushrooms. Make a light mushroom broth by simmering stems in 2 cups water for 15 minutes, then strain and reserve broth (discard stems). Dice mushroom caps and set aside.
2. Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. Cover with boiling salted water, let steep for 15 minutes, then drain.
3. Put oil in a wok or wide skillet over medium heat. Add red peppers, black beans and bean paste and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger and let sizzle, then add mushrooms, soy sauce, sesame oil and Sichuan pepper. Add 1 1/2 cups mushroom broth and cook mixture gently for 2 minutes.
4. Carefully add tofu cubes. Shake pan to distribute sauce, using a wooden spoon to help. Try to avoid smashing tofu. Drizzle in cornstarch mixture, gently swirling pan to incorporate (sauce will thicken) and simmer tofu in sauce for 2 minutes more. Thin with a little mushroom broth if necessary. Transfer to a low bowl or platter. Sprinkle with scallions and cilantro sprigs.

Cooking Notes

500

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Clareanartist3 days ago

Great recipe. The mushroom broth made a delicious base for the sauce. Everything blended together well with lots of flavor and I didn't think it was too spicy. I liked finding out about and trying the fermented black beans and the bean paste. The only ingredient I didn't use was the Sichuan pepper because I could only find a large bag of the peppercorns, way more than I would need. When I find a smaller amount, I'll make it again and use them.

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Jennifer4 days ago

Flagging that the fermented black beans and fermented spicy broad bean paste have gluten in them would have been helpful. Luckily, my partner can eat this. But I won't be making it again.

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Elaine1 week ago

I learned from this recipe, always my goal. The technique of heating the tofu through in hot water will serve me well when I make other tofu recipes. NOT having to stir-fry the tofu in order to heat it, and thus break it down, made all the difference. On one level I can't really say I made this recipe because I didn't have the fermented spicy broad bean paste OR the Sichuan pepper, but I made do with omissions and substitutions, and had a fine dinner.

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superunknown2 weeks ago

I’ve been making it without the mushrooms: - Double the recipe. - Heaping tablespoons of fermented black beans. - Keep water at 2 cups instead of 4 and use veggie broth if possible. 1.75 cups seems just right. - 2 tsp crushed red pepper instead of the chilies was spicy and good.

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