Vegan Bunny Elle

Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) is more than just a dish, it’s a cultural ICON. It is fiery, bold yet tender, soul-satisfying, and perfectly embodies Sichuan cuisine’s signature flavor profile: málà—a combination of hot chili spice and tongue-numbing Sichuan peppercorns.

Originating in Chengdu, Sichuan, during the late Qing Dynasty (circa 1860s–1870s), Mapo tofu was created by a woman affectionately nicknamed “Mapo,” or “pockmarked old lady” (Chen Mapo). Legend has it that she ran a small, humble restaurant near the Wanfu Bridge, catering to laborers, oil carriers, and travelers. She would cook tofu and ground beef (or pork) using local fermented chili bean paste (doubanjiang) and Sichuan peppercorns, creating a dish that was deeply flavorful, inexpensive, and of course, spicy.

The authentic mapo tofu lies in its “eight key traits”: numbing, spicy, hot (temperature), aromatic, tender, fresh, savory, and lightly scorched. It is designed to be eaten with copious amounts of white rice, acting as both a comforting meal and a thrilling sensory experience.

This dish also holds a very special place in my heart, it is, in fact, my grandpa’s very favorite dish. Many of our happy memories happened around a shared meal that always included mapo tofu! To veganize this cultural icon and personal fave, I used soy chunks in place of ground pork or beef. Soy chunks are made from de-fatted soybean flour, and not only do they contain an impressive amount of protein, but they also have a chewy, “meaty” texture that’s perfect for substituting ground meat.

Authentic Mapo Tofu Vegan.Meatless Version

Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) is more than just a dish, it’s a cultural ICON. It is fiery, bold yet tender, soul-satisfying, and perfectly embodies Sichuan cuisine’s signature flavor profile: málà—a combination of hot chili spice and tongue-numbing Sichuan peppercorns

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

• 14 oz silken tofu I used my homemade silken tofu, see notes
• 3/4 cup dehydrated soy chunks
• 2 scallions chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 inch ginger mined
• 1/2 tablespoon – 1 tablespoon Sichuan pepper corn finely ground
• 3-4 dry Sichuan red chili peppers
• 1 tablespoon Pixian Doubanjiang or broad bean paste see notes
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Cooking oil

Method

 

1. Bring a pot of water to boil, add in the dehydrated soy chunks, boil for 10 minutes, drain, and set aside. Depending on the size of your soy chunks, you might want to tear them into smaller pieces;
2. In a saute pan, heat about 1 tablepsoon of cooking oil, add in the Sichuan red chili peppers and sauté for a few minutes until aromatic, then take out the chilis;
3. Add in chopped scallions and minced garlic, fry for 1 minute then add in the minced garlic, saute for another half a minute;
4. Add in drained soy chunks and broad bean paste, use your spatula to stir and mix everything evenly, cook for 3-4 minutes till the bean paste coats the soy chunks well, then sprinkle in the ground Sichuan peppercorn, adjust the amount depending on how “numbing” you want the dish to be;
5. Meanwhile, whisk together the water, cornstarch, Shaoxing cooking wine, soy sauce, and sugar together, pour into the pan and stir quickly to mix in, lower the heat and let the sauce simmer and thicken to your preferred consistency;
6. At this point, you can either gently toss in the tofu and very carefully mix in with your spatula, or, pour the sauce over the tofu in a plate, garnish with extra chopped chili peppers if you like, serve hot with some rice, enjoy!

Video

Notes

1. Silken tofu is a must for authentic Mapo tofu, please do not use regular firm or extra firm tofu, the texture and mouth feel would be totally different! You can use either storebought silken tofu or make your own with only two ingredients, refer to this linked recipe. 
2. Pixian Doubanjiang, or spicy broad bean paste, is an essential ingredient that just cannot be replaced, you can usually find it at your local Asian grocery store or get it online, I love this one that I repeatedly purchase online, it’s also the same brand my family in China uses.