Vegan Mapo Tofu

4.34 from 3 votes

This is my vegan take on the classic Chinese Sichuan dish, Mapo Tofu. It’s distinct for its spicy, red numbing sauce made with chili oil, doubanjiang or fermented broad bean paste, and aromatic numbing Sichuan peppercorns. This is traditionally made with soft tofu and minced beef or pork so for this vegan version I opted to use plant-based ground meat to mimic that texture. Pair this with a bowl of steamed rice for a comforting and satisfying flavor-packed meal.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Chinese, East Asian, Sichuan

Servings servings

Calories 354 kcal

Ingredients

MAPO TOFU

1 lb soft tofu drained and cubed
3 tbsp neutral cooking oil
2 tbsp minced ginger , from 2 to 3-inch knob ginger
2 tbsp minced garlic
, from 6-7 cloves 
6 dried chiles , kept whole or chopped (see notes)
3 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns , toasted from whole then ground (see notes)
6 oz plant-based ground alternative - I used Impossible ground (see notes)
1.5 tbsp doubanjiang or Chinese spicy broad bean paste (see notes)
1 cup vegetable broth or water (see notes)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp soy sauce optional for taste (see notes)
1-2 tbsp homemade chili oil or red chili oil of choice - see homemade recipe here

CORN STARCH SLURRY

1/4 cup room temperature water
2 tsp corn starch

TO FINISH & SERVE

Green onions or scallions chopped
Homemade chili oil or red chili oil of choice - see homemade recipe here
Toasted sesame oil
Ground Sichuan pepper
Steamed rice

Instructions

Carefully slice the tofu into 1” (2.5 cm) cubes. Set aside in a bowl. These will continue to release liquid as these sit, so drain the excess water before mixing into the sauce later on.
Heat a large wok over medium heat. Add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the ginger and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes or until aromatic. Add the dried chiles and mix into the oil. Cook for 30 seconds until aromatic.
Sprinkle the Sichuan pepper in and coat in the oil to mix.
Add in the plant-based ground alternative and cook for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Add the doubanjiang and mix well.
Pour the vegetable broth or water. This will also help deglaze the wok.
Add the sugar, soy sauce (if using), and chili oil.
Mix the water and corn starch together to make a slurry.
Carefully add the tofu into the meat-broth mix.
Over medium heat, pour the slurry in. Carefully fold the tofu into the sauce. Allow the sauce to come to a boil then lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
Taste the tofu and season more, if needed.
Turn off the heat, and finish with chopped green onions/scallions, more chili oil (if desired), sesame oil, and Sichuan pepper (if desired, for more heat).
Serve hot with steamed rice. Enjoy!

WATCH Video

Notes

SICHUAN PEPPERCORNS

I toasted whole peppercorns on a pan (no oil) for 2-3 minutes over medium heat until aromatic before cooling these and quickly running through a food processor/blender until ground. You can also of course use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. This can also be done in bigger batches to store ground sichuan pepper for future use.
You can add more or less Sichuan pepper to the mapo tofu sauce depending on your preferred level of numbing spice.

DRIED CHILES

You can opt to keep the chiles whole or chop these roughly to release more flavor and spice.

PLANT-BASED GROUND ALTERNATIVE

Some plant-based meat alternatives are already seasoned so you may need to skip the soy sauce and add less of the doubanjiang (start with 1 tbsp, since this is salty)

SUBSTITUTES: if looking for a plant-based ground substitute, you can opt to use fresh shiitake mushrooms and dice these. You can use 1/2 lb (227 g) shiitake mushrooms and dice these into small pieces.

VEGETABLE BROTH

I used hot water and diluted 1 tsp mushroom bouillon powder in it.
Some vegetable broth can come heavily seasoned so you may need to skip the soy sauce for the recipe.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

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