Chinese

Sam Young's mapo tofu

Name: Mapo tofu recipe
Yield: 8
Cuisine: /chinese
Ingredients: 3 long red chillies, thinly sliced; 60g ginger; 11 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 40.00 ml Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli oil; 40.00 ml dark soy sauce; 30.00 ml vegetarian stir-fry sauce; 20.00 ml caster sugar; 20.00 ml vegetable oil; 40.00 ml chilli bean sauce; 340g plant-based mince; 900g original or classic tofu, drained, patted dry and cut into 2cm pieces; 20.00 ml potato starch; Steamed rice, thinly sliced long green shallot, coriander leaves and ground toasted Sichuan pepper, to serve

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by Sam Young

SAM YOUNG, CHEF

Jun 16, 2023

“There are a few varieties of mapo tofu. This one is a classic Cantonese dish – my Mum’s recipe with pork mince, chilli and ginger – that I’ve adapted to be vegetarian.”

3 long red chillies, thinly sliced
12cm piece fresh ginger (60g), thinly sliced
11 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbs Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli oil
2 tbs dark soy sauce
1 1/2 tbs vegetarian stir-fry sauce
1 tbs caster sugar
1 tbs vegetable oil
2 tbs chilli bean sauce
340g plant-based mince
900g original or classic tofu, drained, patted dry and cut into 2cm pieces
1 tbs potato starch
Steamed rice, thinly sliced long green shallot, coriander leaves and ground toasted Sichuan pepper, to serve

Method

1.

Place chilli, ginger and garlic in a small food processor and whiz for 10 minutes, scraping down side of processor regularly, until a paste forms.
2.

Combine chilli oil, dark soy sauce, stir-fry sauce and sugar in a small bowl.
3.

Heat a large wok over high heat. Add oil, then add chilli paste and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add chilli bean sauce and plant-based mince and stir-fry, breaking up mince with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until browned.
4.

Add 300ml water and bring to the boil. Add chilli oil mixture and stir to combine. Add tofu, reduce heat to medium and stir very gently to coat in sauce.
5.

Mix potato starch with 2 tbs water in a small bowl, then add to wok and stir until sauce thickens slightly.
6.

Top steamed rice with mapo tofu. Top with shallot and coriander leaves and sprinkle with Sichuan pepper to serve.