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Mapo Tofu

Soft tofu with minced shiitake mushrooms in a spicy sauce made with fermented black beans and fermented broad bean paste, along with hot red pepper and Sichuan pepper!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • ½ lb Soft Tofu
  • 1 cup Minced Shiitake Mushrooms save the stems for adding flavor to the broth
  • 1 tsp Fermented Black Bean Paste
  • 1½ tsp Fermented Spicy Broad bean Paste
  • 1½ tsp Minced Garlic
  • 1 tsp Grated Ginger
  • 5 Dry Red Chilis
  • 3 tbsp Oil
  • 1 tsp Sesame Oil
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • ½ tsp Soy Sauce
  • 1½ cup Vegetable Broth
  • ½ tsp Finely Ground Sichuan Pepper
  • 1 tsp Corn Starch
  • 2 tbsp Chopped Scallions
  • 2 tbsp Chopped Cilantro

Instructions

Prepare veg broth

  • Wash shiitake mushrooms and remove the stems.
  • Add clean mushroom stems to 1½ cup vegetable broth and bring the broth to boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
  • After simmering for 5 minutes, take it off the heat. Remove and discard the stems. Keep the broth aside.

Make chili oil

  • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and saute 5 dry red chilis on low heat till the chilis change colors to darker red or brown. Take it off the heat and let it cool down.

Make Mapo Tofu

  • Heat 2 tbsp oil and saute ½ tsp of Finely Ground Sichuan Pepper for a minute or two on low heat, making sure it does not burn.
  • Add minced garlic and grate ginger to the pan and saute on low/medium heat till the raw smell of garlic disappears.
  • Add minced shiitake mushrooms tops and saute till all the moisture from mushroom disappears.
  • Add Fermented Black Bean Paste and Fermented Spicy Broad bean Paste. Mix well. Cook it for a minute.
  • Add prepared broth, soy sauce and sugar. Bring it to boil.
  • Mix 1 tsp of cornstarch in 3 tsp of water. Mix well so there are no lumps in it.
  • Once the sauce comes to boil, slowly add cornstarch mixture to it while stirring constantly.
  • Let the sauce simmer on medium heat for 2-4 minutes.
  • Add cubed soft tofu, and mix very carefully making sure the tofu does not break.
  • Let it simmer on low/medium heat for 2-4 minutes.
  • Turn the heat off and top it with 1 tsp of sesame oil, prepared dry chili oil along with the chilis.
  • Garnish it with chopped cilantro and scallions. Serve it hot with steamed jasmine rice!
    mapo-tofu