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Ma Po Tofu

 

Ma Po Tofu

We are all about a quick stir fry for a weeknight dinner in my house. This is my homemade, healthy version of a favorite takeout item, ma po sauce. It goes perfectly with rice and only takes about 30 minutes to make!

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Allergens: Soy
  • Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 12 shiitake mushrooms (dried)
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 teaspoon miso
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce or gluten-free soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons oil of choice
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 3 scallions (thinly sliced on a diagonal, white and green parts separated)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 inch fresh ginger root (peeled, minced)
  • 1 block tofu (drained, but into 1-inch cubes)
  • 1 cup green peas (defrosted if frozen)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tablespoons water)
  • Steamed jasmine rice

Instructions

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine shiitake mushrooms and 1 cup warm water.

  2. Soak for 15-20 minutes, then lift out mushrooms and transfer to a cutting board, squeezing as much moisture out as you can.

  3. Reserve the soaking water, strain it, and discard stems, then finely chop shiitake mushroom caps.

  4. Add miso, sriracha, wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar to a bowl of reserved soaking water, stirring to incorporate.

  5. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, then add oil of choice and swirl to coat.

  6. Add minced mushrooms and stir fry until mushrooms are crispy (about 2 minutes),

  7. Reduce heat to medium and add hoisin sauce, white parts of scallions, garlic, and ginger, then stir fry until fragrant (about 1 minute).

  8. Pour in mushroom mixture, then once liquid starts to boil reduce to medium-low heat so it gently bubbles. The liquid in the pan should now be a nice red color.

  9. Gently add tofu cubes and peas, careful not to move around too much so they don't break up.

  10. Cook until tofu absorbs sauce (about 2-3 minutes), spooning some sauce over tofu cubes to help coat.

  11. Carefully push tofu to the sides of the pan to create a small well at the center, then stir in the cornstarch mixture.

  12. Cook until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 1 minute).

  13. Serve over steamed rice and garnish with scallion greens.

BON APPÉTIT!