Name: Spicy Vegan Mapo Tofu
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 tbsp neutral oil (a neutral, high smoke point oil like sunflower, grapeseed, safflower, or avocado oil); 2 null crumbled beyond meat burgers (or vegan meat replacement of choice or 2 cups diced mushrooms); 0.5 cup diced mushrooms (if you're using mushrooms only above you can leave this out or honestly just use it up if you have a bit more); 2 knobs fresh ginger (for 1 tbsp minced ginger); 5 cloves garlic (for 1 tbsp minced garlic); 0.25 cup diced scallion whites; 1 tbsp douban sauce (chili bean paste); 1 tbsp chili oil (I usually just drain some off from the jar); 1 tsp ground szechuan peppercorn; 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce; 1 tbsp sugar (more or less to taste); 1 cup vegetable broth (or mix 1 cup of water + 1 tsp of stock liquid or stock cube, add more water if you want yours saucier); 2 tsp cornstarch (for slurry); 2 tbsp water (for slurry); 1 lb firm silken tofu (excess water drained, sliced in half lengthwise, then into cubes); 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (to add near the end for flavour); 0.25 cup diced scallion greens (for topping)

Instructions

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1

Heat the neutral oil (1 tbsp) in a wok or pan over medium to medium-high heat.
2

Add in your beyond meat burgers (2 crumbled) and diced mushrooms (0.5 cup). Sauté over medium-high heat until vegan meat is completely cooked and the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
3

In a separate pot, start boiling the [water]. Salt the pot well.
4

To the vegan meat and mushrooms, add in aromatics - fresh ginger (2 knobs), garlic (5 cloves) and diced scallion whites (0.25 cup). Stir to combine and cook for about 3 minutes until fragrant.
5

Then add in douban sauce (1 tbsp), chili oil (1 tbsp), ground szechuan peppercorn (1 tsp), low sodium soy sauce (1 tbsp), and sugar (1 tbsp) to the vegan meat mixture. Stir to combine, about 1-2 minutes.
6

Finish the mapo tofu sauce by adding in the vegetable broth (1 cup) and the cornstarch slurry (cornstarch (2 tsp) mixed with water (2 tbsp)). Mix thoroughly to combine and thicken.
7

When the sauce is nearly finished, boil the firm silken tofu (1 lb) in the salted water for about 1-2 minutes. Scoop it out, shake off excess water, and add to the mix, stirring gently to combine with the sauce.
8

Taste and add more [salt] or [pepper] if desired. Top with toasted sesame oil (1 tsp) and diced scallion greens (0.25 cup). Serve over white rice and enjoy!