There are quite a few ways of making a good mapo tofu. I have made both meat and vegan version in the past and I have a spicy version on my blog where it might not be suitable for children or those who has a less tolerant for heat. Last weekend I have made this kids friendly version where my kids can enjoy with us.
In this recipe, I have added shio koji for additional flavour, and as a thickening agent for the sauce, this is definitely optional if you do not have shio koji in hand.
Give this one a go and let me know how you like it!
If you have never tried vegan mince in the past, this is a version with Oumph! and it was delicious (I have also tried Anamma here in Sweden, and other brands which was available in Moscow/Russia only which you won’t be able to find them outside of Russia)! The mince from Oumph! kept their texture really well so I am definitely going to use them for my other Asian dishes again.
Serves 4
Ingredients
250g Firm tofu, drained and cut into bite sized cubes (I used yinpin
150g Oumph vegan mince
1 tbsp fermented black beans (dao-si), finely minced
1 large clove of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 stalk scallion, finely sliced, white and green part divided
2 slices of ginger
Shaoxing wine and vegetable oil for cooking
Seasoning
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp vegan or regular oyster sauce
2 tbsp shaoxing wine (optional)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp caster sugar
a few shakes of ground white pepper
1/2 cup water or chicken flavored stock
1/3 cup blended shio koji (1 tbsp dried shio koji, soaked and blend with 1/3 water) or 1 tsp MSG (optional for additional flavour)
Slurry to thicken
2 tsp corn starch
1 tbsp water
Recipe Preparation
Mix all seasoning ingredients in a small bowl, set aside. In another small bowl, prepare slurry, set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok on medium high.
Add ginger, garlic, onion, white parts of scallion and fermented black beans, stir frequently until fragrant, about 30-45 seconds. Splash in shaoxing wine (roughly 1/4 cup or 50ml), let sizzles until fragrant. Add mince, break up big chunks with the back of a spatula, keep stirring until combined. Move the mince and vegetables to one side of the wok, add tofu cubes and let it cook for 1-2 minutes, shake the wok occasionally to avoid tofu from sticking. Add seasoning and gently use spatula to fold mince mixture together until combined. Let it cook on medium for another 3-5 minutes, some of the liquid should be reduced. Taste and adjust with more soy sauce or salt if needed. Give the slurry a little mix before pouring it into the mixture, stir with spatula again gently, the sauce should be glossy and thicken slightly. Remove from heat and plate it warm with sprinkles of green scallion and serve on a bed of plain, steamed rice.
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