Vegan Ma Po Tofu

To make this classic spicy tofu dish you can find all the ingredients in any grocery stores except 2 - Chinese fermented black beans and hoisin sauce.

First let's talk about the dried fermented black beans. They are a staple in a Chinese kitchen. I remember growing up my mom would steam fish or clams, cook green beans, make chicken rice or practically anything with them. The salty, umami flavor they lend to any dish makes them one of the most versatile ingredients in Chinese cooking. Good news is you can get them from any Chinese grocery stores or even order them from Amazon. 

To make a black bean sauce, I usually put about a tablespoon of fermented black beans in a mortor, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of hot water and use a pestle to crush the mixture into a lumpy paste.

Now let's talk about hoisin sauce. You can pick up store bought hoisin sauce but I have yet to find a clean product that doesn't contain refined sugars and artificial ingredients. Good news is you can make your own. It really is simple and delicious! Once you've made a batch, you can throw it in stir fries or use it as a marinade or dipping sauce for anything. Check out my recipe here.

Now you're ready to make this delicious dish! A lot of the sauces and spices can be adjusted to your taste, so don't freak out over the exact amount!

Ingredients:

• 1 cube of (14oz) tofu, dried and cut into cubes
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil
• 1 or 2 red chili peppers, crushed
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp of ginger
• black bean paste - 1 Tbsp of fermented black beans + 1 or 2 Tbsp of hot water
• 2 Tbsp of home made hoisin sauce
• 1 1 /2 cups of mushrooms
• 1-2 Tbsp vegetable broth
• tamari to taste
• sesame oil to taste
• ground sichuan pepper to taste
• maple syrup to taste
• 1 tsp of arrowroot powder
• cilantro to garnish

Method:

1. In a large skillet, heat up oil. Add chili peppers, garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add black bean paste, hoisin sauce. Cook for another 3 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes.
4. Mix in tofu and stir.
5. Add vegetable broth.
6. Season with tamari, sesame oil, sichuan pepper. Add a little maple syrup for more sweetness if desired.
7. Stir arrowroot powder to 2 Tbsp of warm water to create a paste. Add to tofu mix to thicken the sauce. Coat all ingredients evenly with sauce.
8. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Home Made Hoisin Sauce

Eating clean sometimes means giving up things you are familiar with or once attached to. To me, it's Chinese food, the kind that is laden with greases and artificial ingredients. I still remember the day when I purged my kitchen pantry, I finally said goodbye to my last jars of Chinese condiments like hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and sesame paste that I was holding onto for the longest time.

Lately I was looking for a dan dan mein recipe to surprise my husband on his birthday (his childhood comfort food). I found one that looked amazing but required hoisin sauce, the hoisin sauce I threw away years ago. So I googled home made hoisin sauce and landed on a recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Good. It turned out to be so DELICIOUS and the easiest thing to make! It has become a condiment I often use now to make simple stir fries and Ma Po Tofu. Click here for Ma Po Tofu recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• one large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/2 cup red miso paste
• 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (add more to taste)

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and five-spice powder and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
2. Whisk in the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and cook, whisking or stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Add more maple syrup to taste.
3. Let the sauce cool before using. It keeps well in the refrigerator for a week or so.