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Silken tofu with a rich and umami-packed black bean mushroom sauce. This is a simple meal you can prepare by cooking the sauce and then opening a back of silken tofu to pour the hearty sauce over. This is best enjoyed with a bowl of steamed rice to scoop the sauce over.

THE INSPIRATION: MAPO TOFU

I’m on my silken tofu phase and really love it for its texture, especially in the form of Chinese mapo tofu, so I wanted to level up my usual cold silken tofu recipes to make this version with an umami packed black bean mushroom sauce inspired by the rich and super flavourful mapo tofu sauce that I love. The sauce is very similar to that of mapo tofu except that this contains less spice but you can of course add in a lot more chili oil and chili powder, including sichuan peppercorns for that numbing heat, if you want! This sauce is also thick that coats the pieces of mushrooms really well.

WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF MUSHROOMS?

You can substitute the mushrooms with plant-based mince or ground for an even heartier and meatier bite and texture! Do note that some plant-based ground meat alternatives are already seasoned so you can lessen the soy sauce or leave it out when seasoning the sauce.

THE BLACK BEAN SAUCE

I use Lee Kum Kee’s black bean garlic sauce that I always have readily available in my pantry. I love fermented black beans because of the umami they have. They’re very salty so a little goes a long way! If you don’t have Lee Kum Kee’s sauce, you can use regular fermented black beans. 

CAN I COOK THE TOFU?

You can cut the tofu into cubes and mix into the sauce after cooking if you’d like. You can also quickly microwave the tofu fro 45-60 seconds if you want it warm.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE THIS

SILKEN TOFU

• 1 lb silken or soft tofu see notes

MUSHROOMS

• 4 small dried shiitake mushrooms soaked overnight then diced
• 1.7 oz oyster mushrooms or other mushrooms of choice, roughly chopped or diced

BLACK BEAN SAUCE

• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 green onions chopped (white and green parts separated)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp black bean garlic sauce I use Lee Kum Kee’s (see recipe notes below)
• 1/2-1 tsp chili powder , I used gochugaru
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce or more, adjust to taste
• 1/2-1 tbsp rice vinegar adjust to taste
• 1 tbsp dark mushroom soy sauce optional for colour
• 1/2 cup mushroom water from the soaked shiitake or water
• 1/2 tbsp chilli oil optional for heat

CORN STARCH SLURRY

• 1 tbsp room temp water
• 1/2 tbsp corn starch

SOAK THE MUSHROOMS

Soak the shiitake mushrooms until rehydrated. I leave mine soaked in a container with room temperature water overnight.

PREPARE THE TOFU

Remove the silken tofu from the packaging and drain any excess water. You can leave it to sit on a plate while you prepare the sauce since the tofu will continue to release more water that you can discard later on before pouring the sauce.

PREPARE THE BLACK BEAN MUSHROOM SAUCE

• Heat a small sauce pan over medium. Add in the oil. Once hot, add in the white parts of the green onion. Sauce with the garlic until aromatic. Add in the diced mushrooms.
• Add in the black bean sauce or black beans, chili powder, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, dark mushroom soy sauce (if using), water, and chili oil (if using). Mix well.
• Mix the corn starch slurry: in a small bowl mix together the corn starch and water.
• Over medium heat, pour the slurry into the black bean mushroom sauce. Leave to simmer and mix until the sauce thickens from the starch. Taste the sauce and season more if needed. Turn off the heat.
• Discard any excess water from the tofu.

POUR THE SAUCE, SERVE, AND ENJOY!

Pour the sauce over the silken tofu and top with the green onions. Serve and enjoy with a bowl of steamed rice.

MORE TOFU RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE

Check out my tips on how to store tofu!

• Cold Silken Tofu with Sweet Chili Sauce
• Baked Peanut and Lime Tofu
• Kung Pao Tofu
• Pineapple Cashew Tofu Stir-Fry
• Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu
• Black Pepper Tofu Steaks
• Tofu “Chicken” Teriyaki
• Korean Spicy Braised Tofu
• Fried ‘Chicken’ and Gravy
• Tofu Katsu

Silken Tofu with Black Bean Mushroom Sauce

5 from 4 votes

Silken tofu with a rich and umami-packed black bean mushroom sauce. This is a simple meal you can prepare by cooking the sauce and then opening a back of silken tofu to pour the hearty sauce over. This is best enjoyed with a bowl of steamed rice to scoop the sauce over.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Sides, Starters

Cuisine Asian, Chinese, East Asian

Servings 2 servings

Calories 313 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Silken Tofu

• 1 lb silken or soft tofu see notes

Mushrooms

• 4 small dried shiitake mushrooms soaked overnight then diced
• 1.7 oz oyster mushrooms or other mushrooms of choice, roughly chopped or diced

Black Bean Sauce

• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 green onions chopped (white and green parts separated)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp black bean garlic sauce I use Lee Kum Kee’s (see notes)
• 1/2-1 tsp chili powder , I used gochugaru
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce or more, adjust to taste
• 1/2-1 tbsp rice vinegar adjust to taste
• 1 tbsp dark mushroom soy sauce optional for colour
• 1/2 cup mushroom water from the soaked shiitake or water
• 1/2 tbsp chilli oil optional for heat

Corn Starch Slurry

• 1 tbsp room temp water
• 1/2 tbsp corn starch

For Garnish

• Green onions

For Serving

• Steamed rice or cooked noodles

Instructions

 

• Soak the shiitake mushrooms until rehydrated. I leave mine soaked in a container with room temperature water overnight.
• Prepare the silken tofu: remove the silken tofu from the packaging and drain any excess water. You can leave it to sit on a plate while you prepare the sauce since the tofu will continue to release more water that you can discard later on before pouring the sauce.
• Prepare the black bean sauce: Heat a small sauce pan over medium. Add in the oil. Once hot, add in the white parts of the green onion. Sauce with the garlic until aromatic. Add in the diced mushrooms.
• Add in the black bean sauce or black beans, chili powder, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, dark mushroom soy sauce (if using), water, and chili oil (if using). Mix well.
• Mix the corn starch slurry: in a small bowl mix together the corn starch and water.
• Over medium heat, pour the slurry into the black bean mushroom sauce. Leave to simmer and mix until the sauce thickens from the starch. Taste the sauce and season more if needed. Turn off the heat.
• Discard any excess water from the tofu. Pour the sauce over the silken tofu and top with the green onions. Serve and enjoy with a bowl of steamed rice.

Notes

SILKEN TOFU

• You can cut the tofu into cubes and mix into the sauce after cooking if you’d like. You can also quickly microwave the tofu fro 45-60 seconds if you want it warm.

 

WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF MUSHROOMS?

• You can substitute the mushrooms with plant-based mince or ground for an even heartier and meatier bite and texture! Do note that some plant-based ground meat alternatives are already seasoned so you can lessen the soy sauce or leave it out when seasoning the sauce.

 

BLACK BEAN SAUCE

• I use Lee Kum Kee’s black bean garlic sauce that I always have readily available in my pantry. I love fermented black beans because of the umami they have. They’re very salty so a little goes a long way! If you don’t have Lee Kum Kee’s sauce, you can use regular fermented black beans.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 781mg | Potassium: 628mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 280IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 3mg

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