Vegetarian Mapo Tofu

In the past I’ve shared a recipe for authentic Sichuan mapo tofu, which is rich and flavorful thanks to the added ground meat. But sometimes I might run out of meat or just want a lighter dinner. That’s why I developed this vegetarian mapo tofu, which uses pantry ingredients I always have on hands. The cooking process is quite similar to that of the original mapo tofu, but it still yields a hearty and satisfying result.

To make a rich tasting vegetarian mapo tofu, I used dried shiitake mushrooms and their soaking water for an intense umami. I also used homemade fermented black bean sauce to give it extra depth of flavor. Soft (or even silken) tofu is often used in Chinese restaurant for the best texture, so did I here. But feel free to replace it with medium or firm tofu if you prefer.

Ingredients

It might seem like vegetarian mapo tofu calls for quite a few specialty ingredients. But most of them are easy to source these days, even if you don’t have access to Chinese markets. And they are great pantry staples that you can use again and again to create very authentic tasting Sichuan food and other Chinese dishes.

Doubanjiang

Doubanjiang (豆瓣酱) is a super rich, fermented, spicy paste. It adds a deep savory, spicy, and salty taste to the dish to create that signature taste of mapo tofu. This is a must-have in your pantry, if you like cooking Sichuan food.

You can find it in an Asian market, on Amazon, or at Mala Market.

Sichuan peppercorns

Sichuan peppercorn (Hua Jiao, 花椒) is another key ingredient to give mapo tofu that numbing tingling sensation. I consider it as important as doubanjiang to create the authentic taste.

For this ingredient, freshness is the key since it start to lose its potency quite quickly after harvesting. I highly recommend you purchase Sichuan peppercorns from Mala Market. They carry the freshest Sichuan peppercorns in the US, sourced directly from Sichuan. It truly makes a world of difference.

Fermented black bean sauce

Fermented black bean sauce, or Douchijiang (豆豉酱) in Chinese, is a rich fermented sauce that is very savory. The flavor is like that of soy sauce, but with an even stronger fermented fragrance and much more dimension. It is not a default ingredient for mapo tofu, but I prefer to use it in this vegetarian version, to boost the flavor.

You can either buy it pre-made from the store or make your own. (Making your own is way better! But I understand if you’re pressed for time.)

Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

While dried shiitake mushrooms aren’t as uncommon as the Sichuan ingredients discussed above, they’re crucial to giving the dish a big, mouth-filling umami.

The traditional version of this dish uses ground pork, and I’m happy to let you know that dried shiitake mushrooms pack just as much savory goodness.

You’ll rehydrate the mushrooms, mince them up, and use the rehydrating water as broth for the sauce. It’s an easy way to get huge flavor, and it works perfectly here. 

How to make

Soak the shiitake mushrooms to rehydrate it. In China, we always soak the shiitake mushrooms in cold water, to preserve its flavor. It will take 2 to 3 hours. If you’re short on time, you can use warm water that is not too hot too touch. The mushrooms rehydrate in 15 minutes or so this way. Do not use boiling water, because it’s too hot and will cause the mushroom losing a lot of umami.

To cook, toast the doubanjiang, black bean paste and Sichuan peppercorns in the oil until the doubanjiang releases red oil. This step draw the rich flavor from the ingredients and make the oil very fragrant.

Next, cook the aromatics to further add fragrance to the base.

Then braise the tofu with the rest of the braising ingredients. If using soft tofu like I did here, you only need to briefly simmer the tofu, a few minutes or so. If using firm tofu, you can cover the pan and let braise a little longer, 10 to 15 minutes, so the tofu soak up more flavor.

Lastly, stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. This is a step where you can adjust the texture of the sauce. Always pour in the slurry slowly and stir to activate the cornstarch thickening power. You can add less if the sauce thickens already, or make more slurry if the sauce is still too thin.

Lastly, you can garnish the dish with more ground Sichuan peppercorns and chili oil, to recreate the authentic taste and presentation just like the dish from Chinese restaurants.

How to serve

I always enjoy serving vegetarian mapo tofu over steamed brown rice. You can also serve it with noodles, since it has a good amount of sauce to soak the noodles in. For other appetizers, soups and main dishes that accompany this dish, consider serving it with:

• Vegan Egg Drop Soup
• Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup
• Spinach Stir Fry
• Vegan Dan Dan Noodles
• Vegetarian Chow Mein
• Wood Ear Mushroom Salad

That’s it! I hope you find the recipe easy to follow and the results rewarding!

Frequently asked questions

Vegetarian Mapo Tofu

By Maggie Zhu

4.87 from 15 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

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Vegetarian mapo tofu has all of the dazzling mala umami of the original and is really easy to put together. I’ll teach you the secrets to make your dish an absolute flavor bomb that you’ll want to devour again and again. (Vegan)

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 4 large dried shiitake mushrooms (or 6 small)

Spice mix

• 2 tablespoons Doubanjiang
• 1 tablespoon homemade black bean sauce (or store-bought sauce)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly coarsely ground Sichuan peppercorns , and extra for garnish

Cooking

• 2 to 3 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 2 green onions , sliced
• 1/2 " ginger , minced
• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
• 1 cup mushroom soaking water
• 1 block soft tofu (16 ounces / 450 g per block) , cut into ½ inch (1.5 cm) cubes (*Footnote 1)
• 1/8 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar (or to taste)

Slurry

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water

Garnish

• Homemade chili oil (Optional)

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Instructions

• Add the dried shiitake mushrooms into a small bowl and add 1 cup hot water to cover. Let soak for 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms turn soft throughout. Squeeze out excess water and rub off any debris from the mushrooms. Finely chop the mushrooms into ¼ inch (1/2 cm) squares. Reserve the soaking water for later use.
• Combine the spice mix ingredients in a small bowl.
• Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until warm. Turn to medium-low heat and add the spice mix. Cook and stir for 1 minutes.
• Add the chopped shiitake mushrooms, green onion, and ginger. Cook and stir until the aromatics are lightly browned and the oil starts to turn an orange red hue. Add more oil if the pan looks too dry.
• Pour in the Shaoxing wine and quickly use your spatula to release any brown bits from the pan.
• Pour in the mushroom soaking water, being careful not to add the debris from the bottom of the bowl.
• Add five spice powder and sugar. Mix a few times to dissolve.
• Carefully spread the tofu in the broth in a single layer. Turn to medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Turn to medium-low heat again and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the slurry by whisking cornstarch with water in a small bowl until completely dissolved. Swirl half of the mixture into the tofu, stirring gently with a spatula. Add more until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Taste a piece of tofu with some sauce. Add more sugar to balance the taste if it is too spicy for you. Transfer everything to a big plate.
• (Optional but highly recommended) If you want your dish to look like the authentic mapo tofu in Sichuan, swirl in a few tablespoons of homemade chili oil and sprinkle with a generous amount of freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns at the end of the cooking, to give the sauce a beautiful red color and a bright numbing zesting taste.
• Serve over steamed rice as a main.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. Soft tofu is a bit tricky to handle but it creates the proper restaurant-style texture. You can totally replace it with firm or medium tofu and still get a great result.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 191kcal, Carbohydrates: 17.5g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 11.3g, Saturated Fat: 1.8g, Sodium: 470mg, Potassium: 268mg, Fiber: 2.2g, Sugar: 6.3g, Calcium: 135mg, Iron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating ⭐️ and share your thoughts in the comments further down the page. It really helps others discover the recipe too.

And if you snapped a photo, don’t forget to tag @omnivorescookbook on Instagram. I can’t wait to see your creations!

The recipe was updated with major changes in 2021. If you want the older version, see the recipe below.

Vegetarian mapo tofu (old version)

INGREDIENTS

Spice mix

• 2 tablespoons fermented black beans
• 2 tablespoons Doubanjiang (spicy fermented bean paste)
• 1 teaspoon Chinese chili flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns

Cooking

• 2 to 3 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 (450-g / 16-oz) block medium-firm or firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch (1.5-cm) cubes
• 1/2 lb (225 g) mushrooms, sliced
• 1/8 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• (Optional) Homemade chili oil, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add fermented black beans to a small bowl. Add water to cover, gently rub a few times with your fingers, and drain well. Use the back of a small spoon to smash the beans into smaller bits. Add the doubanjiang, chili flakes, and Sichuan peppercorns to the same bowl.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat until warm. Add green onion, ginger, and garlic. Stir a few times to release the fragrance.
3. Add the spice mix from step 1. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until the paste is cooked through and very fragrant. If the paste starts to stick to the pan, add a bit more oil or some vegetable broth and use your spatula to release any stuck bits.
4. Add the mushrooms. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or so, until the mushrooms are evenly coated with the spices. Add a bit of vegetable broth if it start to stick.
5. Add the vegetable stock, five spice powder, and sugar. Stir to mix well and bring to a simmer.
6. Spread the tofu in the broth in a single layer. Turn to low heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or so.
7. Whisk cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water until completely dissolved. Swirl half of the mixture into the tofu, stirring gently with a spatula. Add more until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Taste a piece of tofu with some sauce. Add more sugar to balance the taste if it is too spicy for you. Transfer everything to a big plate. 
8. (Optional) If you want your dish to look like the authentic mapo tofu in Sichuan, swirl in a few tablespoons of homemade chili oil at the end of the cooking, to give the sauce a beautiful red color.
9. Serve over steamed rice as a main.