No Rules Mapo Tofu

Name: No rules Mapo Tofu
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Sichuanese
Ingredients: 40 g cumin seeds; 20 g coriander seeds; 20 g green Sichuan peppercorns; 20 g red Sichuan peppercorns; 40 g Sichuan chilli flakes; 10 g black peppercorns; 10 g cloves; 20 g sea salt; 20 g granulated sugar; 40 g msg; 30 g dried mushroom (shiitake work well); 300 ml hot water; 100g Smoky Chilli oil; 30 g peeled garlic (minced); 20 g fermented black beans (chopped); 10 g dried vegan mince; 5 g gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes); 10 g spice mix (see above); 30 g doubanjiang; 50 ml rice wine; 5 g kombu dashi powder (or msg); 30 g granulated sugar; 1 tsp truffle oil (optional); 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn oil; 2 tbsp black rice vinegar; 600g medium-soft tofu; 1 tbsp corn flour (mixed with 2 tbsp water)

June 13, 2024

No rules Mapo Tofu

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Cuisine

Sichuanese

Author:

Ben Broker

Servings

Prep Time

60 minutes

This ‘No Rules Mapo Tofu’ is an untraditional take on the classic dish which holds its origins within Sichuanese cooking. This version is heavy on the chilli oil; so go for your favourite ‘oil-heavy’ brand as opposed to a ‘chilli crisp’ or chunkier ‘rayu’. In this case, I’ve opted for White Mausu’s ‘Smoky Chilli Oil’ which has a lot of complex toasty notes and a good depth of chilli flavour.

Ben is a ramen obsessed food writer and Recipe developer find him on instagram here

Ingredients

For the spice mix (Xinjiang-style seasoning mix)

40 g cumin seeds
20 g coriander seeds
20 g green Sichuan peppercorns
20 g red Sichuan peppercorns
40 g Sichuan chilli flakes
10 g black peppercorns
10 g cloves
20 g sea salt
20 g granulated sugar
40 g msg

For the mushroom base

30 g dried mushroom (shiitake work well)
300 ml hot water

For the Mapo Tofu

100g Smoky Chilli oil
30 g peeled garlic (minced)
20 g fermented black beans (chopped)
10 g dried vegan mince
5 g gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
10 g spice mix (see above)
30 g doubanjiang
50 ml rice wine
5 g kombu dashi powder (or msg)
30 g granulated sugar
1 tsp truffle oil (optional)
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn oil
2 tbsp black rice vinegar
600g medium-soft tofu
1 tbsp corn flour (mixed with 2 tbsp water)

Directions

To prepare the spice mix, take your whole spices and gently toast for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Once toasted, allow the spices to cool before adding the remaining ingredients and crushing to a fine powder using a spice grinder, or a pestle and mortar.

(The above quantities will give you more spice mix than you need; so store the leftovers in a sealed container and keep in your cupboard)
For the mushroom base, rehydrate the dried shrooms with the measured in a heatproof container. Once cooled, blend the mixture in to a smooth paste.
For the Mapo Tofu, place a deep sauce pan over a medium heat and add your chilli oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and black beans. Once the garlic begins to brown a little, add your TVP, chilli flakes, spice mix and the doubanjiang before continuing to fry for 1-2 minutes. Deglaze your pan with the rice wine; then add the mushroom paste and remaining ingredients, except for the tofu and cornflour slurry.
Cook the mixture over a low heat for roughly 10-15 minutes. The oil should start to split and rise to the top. Taste the sauce for seasoning before adding the tofu, and simmering for 10 more minutes.
To thicken your Mapo Tofu, combine the corn flour with 2 tbsp of water and mix until homogeneous. Slowly pour the mixture in to the sauce and stir it gently; so as to not to break up the tofu too much. Cook for a further 5 more minutes or until the sauce is glossy and has thickened up.
To serve, ladle your Mapo Tofu over your choice of carbs. This works great over rice or noodles, but also makes an incredible filling for toasties. Garnish as desired, and store any leftovers in your fridge for up to 3 days.

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