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Mapo Tofu is a popular Chinese dish originating from the Sichuan province in the late 1800s. The word "Mapo" literally translates to "pockmarked faced old woman", a reference to the dish's creator. Mapo Tofu is traditionally made with minced pork or beef, but we've adapted the recipe to be vegetarian friendly by using dried shiitake mushrooms instead.
Level: Medium
Total time: 60 minutes
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients:
- 6 Gluten Free Bao Company buns
- 1 lb block of firm or extra firm tofu
- vegetable oil
-
6-8 dried shiitake mushroom caps
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 scallion
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon red miso paste
- 1 tablespoon chili oil with fermented soybeans
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon tamari or gluten free soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- sesame oil for garnish
Directions:
- Soak the dried shiitake mushroom in hot water until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Remove any stems and finely chop the mushroom caps.
- Drain and slice the tofu block crosswise into 12 slices of equal thickness. Lay the slices flat between two sheet pans and several layers of paper towels and place a heavy object on the top to press out the remaining moisture, at least 15 minutes.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tofu slices until golden brown, about 8 minutes per side. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Slice the green parts of the scallion at an angle and mince the white parts, keeping them separated.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (can use leftover oil from frying the tofu) in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped shiitake mushroom, garlic, ginger, and white parts of scallions and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.
- Add vegetable stock, miso paste, chili oil with fermented soybeans, sugar, and tamari and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Dissolve the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into 1 tablespoon of water, then stir the mixture into the sauce until thickened, about 30 seconds.
- Steam Gluten Free Bao Company buns per instructions on package.
- Shortly before serving, add the fried tofu to the sauce, stirring to heat and coat, then fill the baos with 2 slices of tofu, and a dollop of the sauce.
- Drizzle with sesame oil to taste and top with the sliced scallion greens. Enjoy!