This vegan mapo is packed with fiery flavor! Made with smoky shiiitake mushrooms and silken tofu in spicy sauce, it tastes like it came from your favorite Chinese restaurant, but is actually really easy to make at home.
I'd been itching to try mapo tofu for the longest time. It's one of those dishes that's kind of a tease if you're vegan, because while it is a tofu dish, it's not typically vegan. Conventional mapo tofu is made with ground pork or beef.
I was just recently fortunate enough to find a restaurant with vegan mapo tofu on the menu, and let me tell you, it was some seriously spicy deliciousness. That particular version of vegan mapo tofu simply omitted the meat. I decided to create a version at home, but with a stand-in for the meat, in the form of some finely minced smoky shiitake mushrooms. They worked really well in my vegan wonton soup, and once again did the job beautifully here.
If you've never had mapo tofu before, be warned: it is spicy! The dried chilis, Szechuan peppercorns, and spicy bean paste all contribute to the heat level of this dish, and while you could reduce or eliminate any or all of these ingredients, you'd also be sacrificing flavor. If you're looking for a milder Chinese-inspired tofu dish, consider trying my tofu stir-fry or sticky sesame tofu instead.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Water.
- Cornstarch.
- Peanut oil. You can substitute another high-heat oil for this if you'd like. Vegetable oil, canola oil, and corn oil will all work.
- Shiitake mushrooms.
- Liquid smoke. This ingredient is optional. We're using it to add smoky flavor to our shiitake "meat." You can find it near the barbecue sauce in most supermarkets.
- Dried chili peppers. You can buy dried chili peppers in the international section at most supermarkets, or at an Asian market.
- Garlic.
- Ginger.
- Szechuan peppercorns. You might get lucky and find these in the international aisle if you've got a really well stocked supermarket. If not, buy them at an Asian market or online.
- Vegetable broth. You can use water if you don't have this on hand.
- Soy sauce. Tamari and liquid aminos will both work as substitutes for this.
- Doubanjiang. This is a spicy paste that includes fermented broad beans and chili peppers. You'll probably need to go to an Asian market to get this ingredient (or buy it online — you can find anything on the net). Don't skip it! It's a crucial ingredient for flavoring your vegan mapo tofu.
- Silken tofu. Some brands of silken tofu are available in different levels of firmness. Choose firm or extra firm if you have the option.
- Toasted sesame oil.
- Scallions. Also known as green onions.
- Rice.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Finely dice up your shiitake mushrooms. You'll want the pieces to be about a quarter inch, but don't be too fussy about it.
Grind up your Szechuan peppercorns. You can use a mortar and pestle, like I'm doing, or place them into a pepper grinder.
Make sure you get all of your other prep work done before you begin cooking. This includes mincing the garlic, grating the ginger, chopping the chili peppers, and dicing the tofu. You'll also need to stir the cold water and cornstarch together to form a slurry, which we'll use to thicken the sauce.
Heat half of your oil in a wok, then add your diced shiitake mushrooms, along with the liquid smoke if you're using it. Cook the mushrooms for a few minutes, until they start to shrink and brown in spots.
Raise the heat a bit and add the rest of your oil to the wok. Now add the dried chiles, and stir-fry them with the mushrooms for a few minutes, until they just start to darken.
Tip: A wok is the ideal cooking vessel for this dish, but a large skillet will do the job in a pinch. You may need to increase the heat levels slightly.
Push everything to the side to make some space for the garlic and ginger, then add the garlic and ginger. Sauté them briefly, stirring constantly, as they have a tendency to burn.
Stir everything up to mix the garlic and ginger with the mushrooms and peppers. Make some more space in the center of the wok, then add your Szechuan peppercorns and toast them for a minute.
Carefully add broth or water, soy sauce, and doubanjiang to the wok. Bring the liquid to a simmer and let it cook for about a minute.
Now add the cornstarch slurry to the wok. Stir it in, then bring it to a simmer. The sauce should thicken up very quickly.
Add your diced silken tofu to the wok, then gently stir it in with the other ingredients. Be super careful here, as the tofu pieces can easily break. Cook everything for another minute, just to heat up the tofu.
Take the wok off of heat and stir in the sesame oil. Give the tofu a taste-test. You can add more soy sauce if you'd like, or make any other seasoning adjustments to suit your taste. Top the tofu with some chopped scallions.
Your vegan mapo tofu is ready! Dish it up and serve it with some cooked rice.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover mapo tofu will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about four days.
More Chinese Tofu Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Mapo Tofu
Ingredients
- ¼ cup chilled water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
- 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
- 5 dried chili peppers, roughly chopped (Note 1), plus more to taste, up to 10 peppers
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns, ground using a mortar and pestle or pepper grinder
- ½ cup vegetable broth, or water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon doubanjiang (Chinese spicy broad bean paste), plus up to 1 additional tablespoon if desired
- 2 (12.3 ounce/349 gram) packages firm or extra firm silken tofu, diced (about ½ inch)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 scallions, chopped
- Cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- Stir the cold water and cornstarch together in a small bowl or cup. Set the mixture aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large wok over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and liquid smoke, if using. Cook the mushrooms for about 4 minutes, stirring them occasionally, until they become tender and shrink slightly.
- Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the wok. Add the chili peppers. Stir-fry the peppers with the mushrooms for about 1 minute, just until they begin to darken in color.
- Push the mushrooms and chili peppers to the side, then add the garlic and ginger to the wok, in the space you just cleared. Sauté the garlic and ginger for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
- Stir the garlic and ginger in with the mushrooms and chilis, then push everything to the sides of the wok again. Add the Szechuan peppercorns to the newly cleared space. Toast the peppercorns for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Carefully add the broth or water, soy sauce, and doubanjiang to the wok. Make sure to pour the broth or water and soy sauce slowly over the mushroom mixture, as the liquid will sputter if it hits the hot cooking surface. Stir everything together and allow the mixture to simmer for about a minute.
- Stir in the cornstarch and cold water mixture. Bring the liquid back to a simmer. Within a few seconds you should see the liquid start to thicken slightly.
- Carefully stir in the tofu, being very gentle to avoid breaking the tofu cubes. Allow the mixture to simmer for about a minute, then remove the wok from heat.
- Gently stir in the sesame oil.
- Taste-test the tofu and add more soy sauce if desired. Sprinkle with scallions and serve over rice.
Notes
- You can reduce the heat level of this dish slightly by removing the seeds from the peppers. When chopping them, simply shake the seeds out after making the first cut. The dish will still be quite hot.
- Nutrition information does not include rice.
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Don’t think my comment came through. I loved this. As good as any Chinese restaurant and no worries about their putting pork into it. And most don’t include shiitakes. Yay for numbing tingling Szechuan peppercorns. Years ago it was hard to obtain them. Thanks for yet another excellent recipe that keeps me interested in cooking and eating.
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!