Mapo Tofu

. October, 2020
Mapo Tofu

This budget-friendly Chinese-inspired dish oozes with flavour and shows off just how silky tofu can be. 

INGREDIENTS

120g Vegie Delights Mince
1 block Bean Supreme Tofu (chopped into 1 cm pieces)
1 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp ginger (minced)
½ tsp garlic (minced)
1 tsp oil
2 tsp Sichuan pepper corns
4 tsp spicy fermented bean paste (Doubanjiang)
½ tsp Chinese 5-Spice
1 cup vegetable stock
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chilli oil
½ cup spring onions (chopped)
Crispy shallots
Cornstarch
Cooked rice to serve.

METHOD

Marinate the tofu
In a bowl, add the Bean Supreme tofu and the marinade ingredients.

Mix well and set aside.

Mapo Tofu
Heat the oil in a medium pan. Fry the Sichuan pepper corns. Once they are just golden, take them out and dry them on a paper towel. Then blitz them up in adry blender or a mortar and pestle. Set aside.

Heat oil in a hot pan. Fry the bean paste and the Vegie Delights mince for a minute.

Add half a cup of spring onions and toss for 30 seconds.

Add the marinated tofu to the pan gently. Do not break it up. Add chilli oil, 5 spice powder and sugar. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.

Then simmer immediately for between 10-12 minutes. Mix 1 tsp of corn starch in ½ cup of water. Add a little ofit to the sauce and mix until it thickens. Check that it is a silken thick sauce. Add more corn starch of necessary. Once ready, remove from the heat.

Transfer the MapoTofu into a bowl. Garnish the Mapo Tofu with the Sichuan pepper corns, crispy shallots and spring onions. Serve with rice.