A very easy-to-follow vegan/vegetarian Mapo Tofu from ‘Fortunecooking’ Youtube Channel. Except for one ingredient, this curry recipe uses the most common Asian ingredients: onion (red and green), ginger, garlic, hot chili sauce, soy sauce, and of course, tofu.
The special ingredient in Mapo Tofu is black bean sauce (also called black bean paste) which is commercially available and contains black beans, ginger, garlic, and hot peppers.
Onions, ginger, and garlic are lightly sautéed, and then the pastes (black bean and chili), cooking wine, and soy sauce are added. Some water goes in, and the curry is allowed to boil. When it starts boiling, tofu cubes are added and cooked until the sauce thickens. The curry is finished with a teaspoon of sesame oil.
Firm tofu is most suitable for this curry. To enhance it, you may add chopped mushrooms or another vegetable of your choice. Mapo Tofu is best enjoyed with plain steamed rice.
This is a very spicy curry, but you can adjust the amount of hot chili sauce as per your taste.
One essential tip: When you buy any Chinese sauce, read the list of ingredients to ensure that everything is vegan. You can buy both black bean sauce and Asian hot chili sauce online from websites such as Amazon.
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Please read my article on Vegan Mapo Tofu here.