Cook and Drink

The aromas and flavours of Mapo Tofu are powerful, also thanks to the use of Sichuan pepper. It gives the dish a floral, citrusy touch. The combination of silky, soft tofu with ground pork, Chili Bean sauce and scallions is very rich. It’s a delicious, heart-warming dish.
In this version we replace the meat with mushrooms (Wood Ear turned out to be the best choice, but Shiitake will also be fine). We think it’s a lighter, equally tasty but different, version of Mapo Tofu.

Sichuan pepper is not related to black pepper or chili. It’s actually not spicy. It causes a pleasant numbing sensation on your tongue and lips, for a few minutes only, which is surprisingly nice when eating spicy food. We recommend lightly toasting the peppers before grinding or crushing them.

Serving Mapo Tofu with rice is a great idea. Or enjoy it with some Bok Choy (Pak Choi) simmered in a combination of oyster and soy sauce.

Drink Pairing

Jasmine tea is an obvious choice. It has a nice aroma and floral taste. The combination with the spices and the Sichuan pepper works really well.

What You Need

• 100 grams of fresh Wood Ear (or 25 grams dried Wood Ear)
• 300 grams of Silken Tofu
• 100 ml Vegetarian Stock
• 2 tablespoons light Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Mirin
• 3 teaspoons Sesame Oil
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1 small Onion
• 1 Scallions
• 3 teaspoons of chopped Fresh Ginger
• ½ -1 tablespoon Chili Bean Sauce (Douban, Toban-Djan)
• 1-2 teaspoons Black Bean Sauce (Douchi)
• 1 teaspoon of Red Sichuan Pepper
• Oil
• Cornstarch
• Rice
• Pickled Spicy Cucumber

What You Do

1. Toast the Sichuan peppers lightly in a non-stick pan
2. Remove the peppers from the pan and let cool
3. Pre-heat your oven to 65 °C or 150 °F
4. Cook the rice according to the instruction on the package
5. Chop the onion, the garlic and the fresh ginger
6. Slice the scallions and separate the white from the green
7. Clean and slice the mushrooms
8. Slice the tofu and make cubes (2 cm, 1 inch)
9. Warm the stock
10. Add oil to the pan and fry the mushrooms
11. After a few minutes, add soy sauce, mirin and sesame oil
12. Combine and leave to simmer for a few minutes
13. Remove from the pan and keep warm in the oven
14. Grind the Sichuan peppers coarsely
15. Add oil to the pan
16. Fry the white part of the scallions, the onion, the garlic and the ginger
17. Add the chili bean sauce and fry. Enjoy the aromas!
18. Add half of the grounded Sichuan pepper
19. Add the stock, the tofu, the mushrooms and the black bean sauce
20. Use a spatula to mix
21. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes or so until the sauce is nicely reduced and the flavours mixed
22. In the meantime, finely crush the remaining Sichuan pepper
23. Use cornstarch to create the right consistency
24. Just before serving sprinkle with Sichuan pepper and the green of the scallions.
25. Add spicy pickled cucumber to the rice
26. Assemble and serve