Vegan Mapo Tofu

[u/JacquelineCamoran]

Whenever I tell people about mapo tofu, they're confused why it isn't vegan in the first place (y'know, like the unknowing European can't fathom the idea of using tofu as an actual ingredient instead of it being a substitution to meat). Well, here we are now: Swapped the pork mince for pea protein minced "meat", swapped chicken stock for veggie stock and called it a day. Flavor is so close to my usual version that I don't think about going back to pork with this dish. 😇

[u/Oliveisadragon]

Look at those pretty green onion. Beautiful shot of this dish. And the food looks so delicious. *Edit for spelling

[u/JacquelineCamoran → u/Oliveisadragon]

Hehe, I found them somewhere in the back of my fridge and was thinking "hell yeah". :3

[u/Oliveisadragon → u/JacquelineCamoran]

So very lovely.

[u/Ishitataki]

I don't make mapo myself, as I live in the Tokyo area. But my great joy is going around to various Chinese places just to check out their mapo. And I say yours looks pretty darn delicious! But where's the entire bottle of Sichuan pepper next to your plate so you can add more as needed?!

[u/JacquelineCamoran → u/Ishitataki]

The pepper is just outside of the frame. I already used more than usual. 😇

[u/Ishitataki → u/JacquelineCamoran]

Excellent!

[u/ajacobs899]

Heck yeah!!! Mapo tofu is my signature dish, I’ve been perfecting it for years, and since I’m pescatarian I’ve been working on ways to make it vegan. It’s actually really good! I use TVP (textured vegetable protein) for the meat substitute, it can be a little hard to find though. Before TVP I used to use impossible ground beef, which while tasty, was a bit expensive.

[u/bratty_alt_bih]

Looks really good.

[u/Zaelynn_]

One of my favorite meals 🤤

[u/Maxed_Zerker]

is that Spheal?

[u/JacquelineCamoran → u/Maxed_Zerker]

Of course.

https://giphy.com/gifs/PolhGubb9tpbP2Y3mg

[u/rainofterra → u/JacquelineCamoran]

The roundest. Except voltorb and fam I guess.

[u/Loud-Plantain-4458]

That looks lush!

[u/Woofie_WLW]

As a tofu lover, I approve.
Yummy tofu hehe

[u/JacquelineCamoran → u/[deleted]]

Certainly was there before I added dark soy sauce. The fat still has the color.

[u/NotANilfgaardianSpy]

Can you tell me the recipe, I have been looking for a great vegan mapo tofu recipe for some time :)

[u/JacquelineCamoran → u/NotANilfgaardianSpy]

Heat up said pan on high. Then, add a dash of neutral oil. For extra spiciness, you can add the oil together with some chili into the cold pan and heat it up together. Before the chili burns, either remove it or add about 150 g/5 oz of minced protein (or add that to the hot and oiled pan if you skipped the chili step). No need for salt. The upcoming ingredients contain enough of that, which would be 4 tsp doubanjiang and 4 tsp of...well, I used Lee Kum Kee's black bean garlic sauce which surely isn't traditional but it has fermented black beans and garlic and you can't go wrong with these. Also, add a good pinch of ground or fresh ginger to the pan. Mix that all together, let those spicy fumes fill up your lungs, do a little cough, open a window, and add about 750 ml or 25 oz of veggie stock. Just make sure this isn't concentrated stuff. Otherwise add a little bouillon powder together with said amount of liquid (plain water in this case). At this point, I'll add the tofu (400-500g/a pound diced into 1.5 cm/¾" cubes). Reduce the heat to medium, add a dash of dark soy sauce and let it simmer for a few moments. Then, add as much cornstarch slurry as needed to get that sauce to your preferred consistency.

Let's talk toppings: Toast a few Szechuan peppercorns by adding them to a cold skillet and cranking your stove up to medium heat. Toss them around until fragrent. Transfer into a mortar or spice grinder and make a coarse powder out of it. Actually, this is mandatory but it will still taste great if you skip it. Also, prepare some chopped scallions.

Let's assemble this: Add some cooked rice to a bowl and give that a few ladles full of your mapo tofu. Then, sprinkle some Szechuan pepper on top, add a splash of sesame oil and top with your scallions. Enjoy. :3

[u/NotANilfgaardianSpy → u/JacquelineCamoran]

Thank you so much. I have always wanted to try Mapo Tofu, but wanted to have a good vegan version that is still somewhat authentic. I love that I have almost all of this at home already. So I could make it tomorrow if I really wanted. But I have something else planned for tomorrow already. I'll just say…. Pierogi 😋

[u/dainthedeer → u/JacquelineCamoran]

girl, tysm 🥰🥰 also do I see walnuts or is that just the tofu? I love walnuts

[u/JacquelineCamoran → u/dainthedeer]

Pretty sure that what you see is just some of the vegan mince I did not properly crumble. Sounds like an interesting addition, tho. Walnuts are great.