The Best Vegan Mapo Tofu
One of my favorite recipes of all time, this vegan mapo tofu is packed with savory and pungent flavors that are traditional to Szechuan cuisine. So delicious that I always go back for seconds!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 6 people 1x
- Category: Vegan
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked in 3 1/2 cup water for at least 30 minutes)
- 7 ounces button mushrooms (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic (peeled and minced)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (peeled and minced)
- 1 large leek (sliced in half lengthwise and thinly sliced on the bias)
- 1 pound silken tofu (drained and sliced into 1-inch cubes)
- 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns (optional)
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons spicy chili crisp
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 1/2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Take shiitake mushrooms out of the water and set the water aside. You will need it for the sauce. Squeeze the dried shiitake mushrooms to remove excess water and finely chop them. Add them to the bowl with the button mushrooms.
- In a wok or large pan over medium high heat, add oil and mushrooms. Stir and cook for 8 minutes.
- Add garlic, ginger and leeks, stir and cook for 4 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
- Add gochujang, soy sauce, spicy chili crisp, salt and gochugaru to the pan and stir until the ingredients are mixed and heated through (about 1 minute).
- Return vegetables to the pan and add mushroom water. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer.
- Give the cornstarch mixture a quick stir and add to the sauce while stirring.
- Add tofu, Szechuan peppercorns and stir well to coat the cubes. Cook for 1 minute and serve with white rice.
Notes
This mapo tofu is best eaten the day of but you can keep it refrigerated for up to 2 days. The texture won’t be gooey anymore but the flavors will still be delicious.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 159
- Sugar: 3.9 g
- Sodium: 758 mg
- Fat: 9.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.4 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 5.6 g
- Cholesterol: 2.3 mg
Keywords: recipe, vegetarian, meatless, plant based, Szechuan
Find it online: https://pickledplum.com/vegan-mapo-tofu-recipe/
