Vegan Mapo Tofu Recipe: A Vegan Dish That Outflavors Others!
The traditional mapo tofu recipe uses minced beef. So, vegans can’t enjoy this delicious item. I thought to prepare the vegan version of the mapo tofu recipe. Almost everything in this vegan mapo tofu recipe will remain the same except for the beef. I will replace beef with dried mushrooms.
This dish is quick to make and lovely to eat. Also, you can pair this dish with a lot of different items. Let’s make vegan mapo tofu together to add an awesome dish to your list of favorites.
Table of Contents
Vegan Mapo Tofu Recipe Overview
Here is a quick overview of the vegan mapo tofu recipe. It will give you a glimpse of the process and the outcome.
| Cuisine: Chinese | Difficulty: Medium | ||
| Total Time: 25 minutes | |||
| Serving | Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Calories |
| 2 persons | 10 minutes | 15 minutes | 338 kcal |
Ingredients Needed for Vegan Mapo Tofu Recipe
As I have already mentioned, most ingredients will be the same as the regular mapo tofu. There are slight variations in sauces, so check the list below.
Main Ingredients for the Recipe
- Tofu: Take 200g of soft tofu. It will absorb the flavor better. But if you aren’t confident in handling tofu, use the firm one.
- Dried Mushroom: Use 100g of dried mushrooms as a substitute for beef.
- Dried Tofu: 100g of dried tofu
- Ginger: 25g of ginger, thinly chopped
- Bean Paste: 1 tbsp of bean paste.
- Cornstarch: 2 tsp of cornstarch
- Cooking Oil: 2 tbsp
- Sichuan Pepper Oil: 1 tsp
- Celery: 2 tbsp of chopped celery for garnish
Sauces and Seasonings for the Recipe
- Salt: 1 tsp
- Sugar: 1 tsp
- Dark Soy Sauce: 1 tsp
- Light Soy Sauce: 2 tbsp
- Vegan Oyster Sauce: 1 tbsp
Vegan Mapo Tofu Recipe: Step-By-Step Instructions
Making vegan mapo tofu seems far easier to me than making it with meat. Let me explain the process through simple steps and make sure you follow along.
Step 1: Soak the Mushrooms in Water and Cut Them
Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl of water and let them soak for a few minutes. Once the mushrooms have absorbed some moisture, take them out and cut them into small cubes. Each cube should be about half an inch.
Step 2: Cut the Tofu and Blanch It
Slice the tofu block first. Then, turn the tofu slices into large cubes. The tofu cubes should be about one inch in size. You need to blanch the tofu to remove its beany smell.
Take water in a pot. Place it over high heat and let it boil. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of dark soy sauce into the water. Add the tofu cubes to the boiling water and blanch them for about two minutes.
The salt will increase the toughness of the tofu a bit, so it will be easier to handle later. The dark soy sauce will give the tofu a darker color which will make the dish look incredible. After two minutes, strain the tofu.
Step 3: Fry the Mushrooms
Place a frying pan over medium heat and pour 2 tbsp of cooking oil in it. Once the oil gets hot, throw the mushrooms in and stir-fry them for a few minutes. Also, add chopped ginger and diced dried tofu to the mushrooms.
You should fry these ingredients until the raw smell of ginger is gone.
Step 4: Fry the Bean Paste
After about 5 minutes, add 1 tbsp of chili bean paste to the pan. Also, pour 1 tbsp of vegan oyster sauce and 2 tbsp of light soy sauce into the pan. Mix everything and continue frying until the sauce becomes fragrant. When the sauce gets a bit thicker, add some splashes of water you used to soak the mushroom.
Step 5: Add the Seasonings
After simmering the sauce for a few minutes, you can add 1 tsp of sugar. Add 1 tsp of salt after tasting the sauce because soy sauce and bean paste already have salt in them.
Step 6: Add the Tofu
Once the sauce is cooked, you can add the blanched tofu. The sauce should just cover the tofu. So, adjust the amount of water if necessary. Cook the tofu on low heat for about 3 minutes.
Step 7: Pour Slurry in Batches
Mix 2 tsp of cornstarch with water to make a slurry. It should be a thin slurry. Pour the slurry into the sauce in 3 batches. Add one-third of the slurry and then stir well. Add the next two batches gradually and keep stirring the sauce until it thickens up.
Step 8: Garnish the Mapo Tofu and Serve
Your vegan mapo tofu is almost ready. Plate the mapo tofu and drizzle some hot Sichuan pepper oil on top. Also, sprinkle some chopped celery or scallions to garnish the mapo tofu. This goes extremely well with white rice.
Nutrition Facts of Vegan Mapo Tofu
Using Dried mushrooms greatly enhances the nutritional value of this dish. This vegan dish can fulfill a large portion of your daily nutrient requirements. Here is a detailed breakdown.
- Total Carbohydrates: 16.8g
- Protein: 18g
- Total Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0.3g
- Total Dietary Fiber: 5.2g
- Total Sugar: 3.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 566mg
- Potassium: 497.9mg
- Calcium: 213mg
- Iron: 3mg
- Vitamin A: 0.5IU
- Vitamin C: 7.6mg
Vegan Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- As the lotus root takes most of the time, I will start with it. Cut the lotus root in half lengthwise. If there is any dirt or mud around the core, wash it off. Then, pat the root dry with a kitchen towel. Cut the lotus root into quarters. Then, cut them into cubes. Each chunk should be roughly 1 inch.
- Peel the carrot and the cucumber first. Slice the carrot into quarters and then cut into cubes, just like the lotus root. Remove the seeds of the cucumber and cut it into cubes as well.
- Heat a pan on medium flame and put about 1 tsp of vegetable oil in it. Once the oil is hot, put the bean paste. The bean paste has a raw smell that you need to eliminate.
- Stir-fry the bean paste on low flame until it releases oil. At this point, the bean paste will emit a nice aroma. Be careful not to over-fry the bean paste. Otherwise, it will have a bitter flavor.
- Both the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns will now go to the pan. Keep frying them until the chili peppers change color lightly.
- As lotus root and carrot take more time to cook, I am adding these two earlier. Mix all the spices with the vegetables and stir-fry the vegetables for a few minutes.
- Next goes the Matsutake oyster sauce. You should cook it a bit to unlock its fragrance. Add a few splashes of boiling water to the pan and simmer for about two minutes.
- Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of Matsutake seasoning to enhance the taste of the lotus root. Once the sauce thickens up a bit, you can put the cucumber in. You don’t want to cook cucumbers for too long. Otherwise, the cucumbers won’t feel crunchy.
- Pour the mature vinegar along the edge. Then, mix the starch with water to make a slurry and pour it into the pan. Mix everything well and cook for just one or two minutes. Once the sauce thickens up, the dish is ready.
- Transfer the vegan Kung Pao chicken to the serving dish and serve with any rice or noodle dishes. You can also serve some vegan soups with it.
FAQs
Here are answers to some relevant questions that might be helpful.
What vegetables pair well with mapo tofu to enhance flavors?
Bok choy is a great option to add to mapo tofu. Other vegetables, such as carrots, cucumbers, lotus root, etc., can also be paired with mapo tofu to enhance its flavors.
How do you ensure the vegetables in mapo tofu remain crisp?
You must add cornstarch to ensure the vegetables in mapo tofu remain crisp. Also, avoid cooking the mapo tofu for a long time. Otherwise, the vegetables can turn soggy.
Can I use frozen vegetables in a mapo tofu recipe?
Of course. You can use frozen vegetables in mapo tofu without any problem. It is better to bring them to room temperature first if the vegetables are large. But smaller ones, such as frozen peas, can be directly added to the pan.
Can I substitute tofu with tempeh when cooking mapo tofu?
You can, but the dish might no longer have the same name. The name mapo tofu originated due to the use of tofu. Using tempeh will give a similar flavor, but you might need to call it mapo tempeh.
Conclusion
Vegan mapo tofu is even easier and faster to make compared to the traditional mapo tofu. If you are aligned with the vegan movement or just want a break from your common mapo tofu dishes, this vegan mapo tofu recipe can be the perfect escape root.
It has a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and savory flavors and will make you crave more. Be it a holiday or the festive season, this lovely dish can elevate everyone’s mood with its glossy appearance and umami flavor.
