Mapo Tofu with Shiitake and Chilli Black Bean Sauce
A quick and easy version of Mapo Tofu
My recipes tend to be on the complicated side with a million ingredients so I am trying to make a few quick and easy recipes. And this is one of them. I think most people could make this in under 30 minutes and there is only 14 ingredients! Okay, so still a few but many of the ingredients you'll probably already have in your fridge and pantry.
The hardest ingredient to find, but which most defines Mapo Tofu is probably going to be the Sichuan pepper corns. If you cant get you hands on any (Woolies and Coles don't sell it), still give this recipe a go as the black bean chilli sauce has it in it. So technically I think you could still say you made Mapo Tofu!
Now I want to reiterate that by no means is this a tradition version of the traditional Chinese Mapo Tofu. Obviously there is no ground pork in it and I used sauces that I could easily buy rather than hunt for more authentic versions. I even ended up adding gochunjan chilli paste, which is Korean, not Chinese, as this is what I had and I can buy it at my local supermarket.
This version is also not as hot as it traditionally should be, I have designed for a more Western chilli shy palate. It still has a kick but wont shouldn't blow you away. And you can by all means add more chilli if you like it hot. The Sichuan pepper also provides a lovely kick – you should feel a slight burning tingly sensation at the back of you throat. As the spice level can vary between pepper corns, I suggest you start by just adding ½ a teaspoon first and than just add more to your liking.
I used to runt at the sight of even the tiniest bit of chilli but these days my tolerance is much better. I have slowly increased by chilli intake and I now think my ability to tolerate spicy food is at an acceptable high enough level for a foodie. I always used to be slightly embarrassed that I couldn't handle hot food so am feel rather smug that I can now! I feel the same about blue cheese, I seriously hate it but feel like I should love it. It makes me feel like I have very unsophisticated taste buds but seriously I cant stand the stuff. I can never imagine graduating to liking blue cheese but hey, I did it with chilli, so never say never.
Mapo Tofu with Shiitake and Chilli Black Bean Sauce
Prep time: 30 minutes plus an extra 30 minutes to soak the shiitake mushrooms
Serves: 2 large servings or 4 smaller servings
Dietary guide: This recipe is vegan and gluten free. I am yet to find a good shop bought FODMAP friendly chilli sauce so unfortunately I don’t recommend a FODMAP friendly version of this dish.
Ingredients
2 teaspoon of minced ginger
2 teaspoon of minced garlic
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (or chilli oil if you like it hot)
2 teaspoons of whole Sichuan pepper corns
2 tablespoon of chopped spring onion/scallion (white part only)
½ a cup of shiitake mushrooms soaked in 1 cup of water for 30 minutes
1 vegetarian “chicken” stock cube
1 tablespoon of chilli paste (I use gochujan)
2 ½ tablespoons of black bean chilli sauce (I used Lee Kum Kee brand)
1 ½ tablespoon of light soy sauce (or Tamari if gluten free)
1 ½ tablespoon of brown or caster sugar
2 teaspoons of corn flour
400g of soft/semi firm tofu*
2 tablespoon of chopped spring onion/scallions (green part)
2 cups of water
*Cooking note: Many mapo tofu recipes use silken tofu. However this recipe uses soft or medium firm as I wanted to make this recipe as easy and quick as possible. If you want to use silken tofu you first need to prepare the tofu by letting tofu sit it salted boiling water for 5 minutes to firm it up (so it wont break apart when added to the sauce).
Instructions
Dry fry the whole Sichuan pepper corns in a small frypan over a low- medium heat for a few minutes. This helps to release their flavour. Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder**, pound/whizz the pepper until you have a fine powder. Set aside.
Remove the mushrooms from the soaking liquid (reserve the liquid) and chop the mushrooms up finely (you can pulse in a food processor if you prefer). Set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the chopped white spring onions, minced garlic and ginger and fry for about 3-5 minutes or until it starts to take on a golden colour.
Add the chopped mushroom and chilli beans sauce and cook for another few minutes.
Add 2 cups of water, ½ a teaspoon of the ground Sichuan pepper, the reserved shiitake soaking liquid, the chilli bean paste, soy sauce, sugar and the stock cube. Turn the heat up high and cook heat about 10 minutes. Taste and add more of the ground Sichuan pepper if you think it needs it.
Mix the corn flour with 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Add this to the sauce whilst mixing quickly to ensure the cornflour doesn't form any lumps. Cook for another few minutes to allow the sauce to thicken a little. If it thickens too much, add more water. Taste and adjust if needed (i.e. add more chilli sauce if it isn't hot enough for you). Turn the heat down to low-medium.
Cut the tofu into 2.5cm/1 inch cubes. Place the tofu in the sauce and carefully mix through. Simmer for a couple of minutes to warm the tofu. Serve scattered with the chopped green spring onions and rice or noodles.
**if you don’t have a mortar and pestle or spice grinder you can fry the whole pepper corns in the oil (2 tablespoons) for a few minutes. Remove the pepper corn from the oil - you now have a nice Sichuan flavoured oil. Continue the recipe from step 2 using the favoured oil. You might like to sprinkle a few of the reserved pepper corns on top of the finished dish for garnish.
