Classic Sichuan dish with silky tofu, vegan mince, and fermented black beans in a spicy, numbing sauce.

Ingredients

  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar (30 ml)
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch (15 ml)
  • 1 fresh red chili
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp rapeseed oil for frying
  • jasmine rice to serve
  • 2 × 2 cm piece fresh ginger
  • 4 spring onions
  • ½ tbsp Sichuan peppercorns (7.5 ml)
  • 400 g firm natural tofu
  • 100 g vegan mince
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil (15 ml)
  • 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (15 ml)
  • 2½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (37.5 ml)
  • 3 tbsp fermented black beans in chili oil (45 ml)
  • 400 ml water (4 dl)
  • 2 tbsp water (30 ml) for cornstarch slurry

Instructions

  1. Peel and finely chop garlic and ginger, and slice the lower white part of the spring onions separately from the green part. Rinse and slice the chili. Remove the seeds if you want a milder dish.
  2. Toast the Sichuan pepper in a dry frying pan and set aside for now.
  3. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Cut the tofu into approximately 1½ × 1½ × 1½ cm cubes and simmer them in the water for about 3 minutes. This makes the tofu firmer while absorbing a bit more liquid and becoming silkier.
  4. Heat rapeseed oil in a wok or frying pan with high sides and fry the vegan mince until crispy together with sesame oil and 1 tablespoon Japanese soy sauce. Remove the mince from the pan and then fry garlic, ginger, chili and white spring onion in the remaining fat until the onion becomes soft and starts to smell good.
  5. Pour in the fermented beans and fry for 1 more minute. Add tofu, 4 dl water, vinegar and 2½ tablespoons soy sauce and let cook for 6-8 minutes on low heat until the sauce has reduced somewhat and the flavors have come together. Let the mince cook with it for the last 2 minutes.
  6. Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and stir into the pan little by little until you get a medium-thick consistency. Stir in the green spring onions and taste with soy sauce.
  7. Grind the Sichuan pepper in a mortar and sprinkle over the dish and remove from heat.
  8. Serve with freshly cooked jasmine rice.

Notes

Spice level: Remove chili seeds for a milder dish. The Sichuan peppercorns provide the signature numbing sensation.

Tofu preparation: Simmering the tofu first makes it firmer and silkier, helping it absorb flavors better.

Fermented black beans: These are essential for authentic flavor and can be found in Asian grocery stores.

Source: https://javligtgott.se/recept/mapu-dofu/