Hi again, gonna give this a try any feedback is welcome. This weeks second recipe is a Japanese take on mapo tofu, enjoy!
Ingredients for sauce
- 2½ Tbsp. doubanjiang (this is a must have)
- 1 Tbsp. miso
- ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. mirin
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp. potato starch or cornstarch
- 4 Tbsp. water
Ingredients for sauté
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 Tbsp ginger (minced)
- 2 green onions/scallions (chopped to your liking)
- 14 oz. soft/silken tofu
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
- ½ lb protein (impossible ground *eef or Seitan fine diced so it resembles crumbles)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and mix (set aside).
- Heat a wok or large frying pan on medium heat, then add oil.
- Add the 1/2lb of protein, garlic, and ginger to the wok and stir fry till golden brown.
- Turn heat to medium-low, add the sauce, break apart the silken tofu into bite-sized pieces, and add to the wok.
- Gently stir the tofu, coating it in the sauce mixture, then simmer till heated through.
- Add green onions and serve with rice.
I just made this recipe last week, it was quite tasty (although I dialed back on the chili and Sichuan pepper)
https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/bkwppx/recipe_sichuan_mapo_tofu_revisited_%E9%BA%BB%E5%A9%86%E8%B1%86%E8%85%90/
mapotofu is one of my favorite dishes and there are a lot of variations on it, but this recipe from chinese cooking demystified is by far the best starting point recipe out there. One variation i like to make is to double the black bean and green onion, and use less water and doubanjiang
hell yeah, i've never had a mapo tofu that was full of mince, vegan or non-vegan. at vegan places they usually cook it without any meaty bits at all, and half the time at omni restaurants it's vegan if you ask them not to use lard/beef fat. the meat is there for flavor and maybe to add some texture to the sauce (though that's more from the beans)
japanese/taiwanese/western mapo tofu, with its lack of spices and its thick gravy sauce, is fine, but it's kind of bland and heavy and boring compared to the real thing.
I've made it a couple times, with beef, pork, and no meat. The seasoning is really the star of the show, you definitely don't need the meat.
It also pairs really well with mashed potatoes, especially if you add a little extra broth to make it more like a chunky gravy.
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