Vegan Recipe

Vegetarian Mapo Tofu

One of my favorite Chinese dishes to eat is vegetarian Mapo Tofu. I love the tongue-numbing features of the Szechuan peppercorns, the depth of chili flavors in the sauce, and the texture of the soft tofu that perfectly absorbs the sultry sauce. There are only a few restaurants I have been to that do a vegetarian Mapo Tofu excellently. I have been disappointed with most so I set out to make one of my favorite Chinese dishes from the Szechuan province. You can make this as mild or as spicy as you prefer!

See below for my vegetarian Mapo Tofu recipe!

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5 from 1 vote

Vegetarian Mapo Tofu Recipe

A vegetarian version of a Szechuan classic! An approachable way of making this flavorful and comforting classic for the cold winter months.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Keyword: Mapo Tofu, vegan chinese food, Vegan recipe, vegetarian chinese food, Vegetarian recipe

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 lb soft/firm tofu (silken is too runny)
• 1 lb shiitake mushrooms (chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic (diced)
• 1 tbsp ginger (minced)
• 2 sprigs green onion (garnish)
• 1 container sliced water chestnuts (optional)

The Sauce

• 4 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 1-2 tbsp Szechuan peppercorn (1.5 is what I prefer - grind it up)
• 6 pieces dried mini red chili peppers
• 3 tbsp Chinese black bean sauce
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 3 tbsp corn starch (mixed with water to create a thick paste)
• 2.5 tbsp fermented black beans
• 2 tsp chili oil
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp white sugar

Instructions

• Chop up your tofu into 1-inch squares.
• Chop your dried mini chili peppers and pan fry in a small pan with 1 tsp of grapeseed oil for about 2-3 minutes.
• Soak the tofu in hot water for about 15 minutes and then drain it.
• Chop your vegetables and heat up half of the oil (2 tbsp) in the wok on medium heat.
• Add your shiitake mushrooms, ginger, and garlic, then add the ground up peppercorn.
• Stir in the black bean sauce, then add your vegetable broth and let it simmer for about 1 minute.
• Then add your corn starch mixture and simmer while the sauce thickens for about 2 minutes.
• Now you can add your chili peppers with the oil, chili oil, black beans, and tofu. Simmer until the flavors blend together for 4 minutes.
• Then add the sugar to take out any bitterness.
• Turn off the heat and drizzle with sesame oil, peppercorn sprinkled on top, and chili oil. Garnish with green onions and your mapo tofu is ready.
• It goes wonderfully with jasmine rice but you can also eat it with noodles.

Ingredients:

• 1lb of soft tofu – silken will go all over the place
• 1lb of shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp of minced ginger
• 2 sprigs of green onion for garnish
• Optional water chestnuts – sliced

Sauce:

• 4 tbsp of grapeseed oil
• 1-2 tbsp of Szechuan peppercorns (I like doing around 1.5 – it gets more tongue numbing the higher the number)
• 6 dried mini chili peppers
• 3 tbsp of black bean sauce
• 1 cup of veggie stock
• 3 tbsp of corn starch mixed with water to create a thick paste
• 5 tbsp of fermented black beans
• 2 tsp of chili oil
• 2 tsp of sesame oil
• 1 tsp of white sugar

Directions:

1. First, chop up your tofu into 1-inch squares.
2. Then, chop your dried mini chili peppers and pan fry in a small pan with oil for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Next, soak the tofu in hot water for about 15 minutes and then drain it.
4. Chop your vegetables and heat up half of the oil in the wok on medium heat.
5. Add your shiitake mushrooms, ginger, and garlic, then add the ground up peppercorn.
6. Stir in the black bean sauce, then add your vegetable broth and let it simmer for about 1 minute.
7. Now add your corn starch mixture and simmer while the sauce thickens for about 2 minutes.
8. Next, add your chili peppers with the oil, chili oil, black beans, and tofu. Simmer until the flavors blend together for 4 minutes.
9. Then, add the sugar to take out any bitterness.
10. Finally, turn off the heat and drizzle with sesame oil, peppercorn sprinkled on top, and chili oil. Then garnish with green onions and your mapo tofu is ready.
11. It goes wonderfully with jasmine rice but you can also eat it with noodles.

• – Interested in more tofu recipes? Check them out here:

Asian Tofu Recipe : Perfect for a Tasty Stirfry