Vegan Mapo Tofu
Published April 21, 2015
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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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
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
10 grams carbs; 157 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 586 milligrams sodium; 7 grams protein; 4 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 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.
- Step 2
Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. Cover with boiling salted water, let steep for 15 minutes, then drain.
- Step 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 ½ cups mushroom broth and cook mixture gently for 2 minutes.
- Step 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.
Private Notes
Comments
Things to simplify what some found difficult or puzzling:
1. It is not necessary to steep tofu.
2. Canned mushroom/vegetable/beef broth work fine as a substitute for broth from mushroom stems.
3. For fermented black beans and broad bean paste, substitute the readily available Black Bean Sauce with Garlic (e.g., Kikkoman's), using 2 tablespoons.
4. Cayenne pepper substitutes for ground Sichuan peppers, using 1/4 teaspoon or less, to taste.
Result: authentic-tasting mapo tofu.
Cayenne peppers are totally unrelated to Szechuan peppers, have a completely different chemistry and effect in food and do not "substitute" for Szechuan peppers to yield anything even approaching "authentic-tasting" Mapo dofu. It could be a tasty dish, but not even close to authentic (especially if one also substitutes Japanese black bean sauce with garlic for the totally different combo of fermented black beans and chile bean paste).
No. Absolutely do not substitute cayenne pepper for Sichuan peppercorn. Sichuan peppercorns are not peppercorns or even related to peppers! They are the husk of a seed. and the soft tofu definitely benefits from the incredibly easy step of steeping in salted water - why would you skip it? Sichuan peppercorns are surprisingly widely available and absolutely integral to this dish. If you can't find them, wait to make this until you do.
I’m glad for the comments about adding acid at the end. Ours was very spicy and needed some toning down. Also had a bit too much sauce so we should have prepped some rice as a base. We used firm tofu because that’s the only type we buy but after pressing and adding to the sauce it was still very soft. Next time we might oven roast it with cornstarch for a crispier texture contrast. Very weeknight friendly if you have the ingredients on hand.
Subbed about 2T Gochujang and some red pepper flakes for the dried hot peppers, Maeil Doenjang (soybean paste) for the fermented black beans (could try miso next time), and Youkie brand Shisen Tobanjang (which I believe is a Japanese version of doubanjiang) bc that's what I had on hand. Did the salt water tofu soak, not sure what that step added, will try skipping next time. Serve over short grain rice. Fantastic and Easy!
SO YUMMY. Don't know why the recipe says not to use silken tofu? It's all I had in my fridge plus it's the kind that's usually used to make mapo tofu as far as I know. Just tossed it in without the saltwater steeping and it was awesome.