Chengdu, Sichuan — China
Mapo Tofu (Vegan)
Silky tofu in a numbing, fiery sauce of doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorn — Chengdu's signature dish, with shiitake taking over the pork's old job.
Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Flavor
Numbing · spicy · deeply savoury (málà)
The Story
Why this dish — and how it became plant-based
Mapo tofu is the dish that taught the West what 'málà' means — that distinctive combination of numbing Sichuan peppercorn (má) and chile heat (là) that defines Sichuanese cooking. Legend traces it to an elderly pockmarked woman in 19th-century Chengdu who cooked tofu for labourers passing her stall — cheap, fast, fiercely satisfying.
Pork was always a minor character in the dish; the soul is the chile-bean paste (doubanjiang), the peppercorn and the silky tofu. Replace the ground pork with minced shiitake or rehydrated dried mushrooms and the result is, if anything, even more deeply savoury. This is one veganisation where you genuinely lose nothing.
Ingredients
What you'll need
Aromatics & sauce
- •3 tbsp neutral oil
- •2 tbsp doubanjiang (Pixian chile-bean paste) — non-negotiable
- •1 tbsp fermented black beans (douchi), rinsed and chopped
- •1 tbsp ginger, finely minced
- •4 garlic cloves, minced
- •1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn, toasted and ground
- •½ tsp chile flakes (optional, for extra heat)
Mushroom 'pork'
- •150g fresh shiitake or king oyster mushrooms, very finely chopped
- •OR 5–6 dried shiitake, rehydrated and finely chopped
- •1 tbsp soy sauce
- •1 tsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
Tofu and finishing
- •500g silken or soft tofu, cut in 2cm cubes
- •1¼ cups vegetable broth or mushroom soaking water
- •1 tbsp light soy sauce
- •1 tsp sugar
- •1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp cold water (slurry)
- •2 spring onions, finely sliced
- •1 tsp roasted sesame oil
Method
Step by step
- 1
Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to a gentle simmer. Slide in the tofu cubes and warm them through for 2 minutes — this firms them up and prevents breaking. Drain gently.
- 2
Heat oil in a wok or wide skillet over medium-high. Add doubanjiang and fry 30 seconds until the oil turns deep red and fragrant.
- 3
Add the chopped mushrooms and stir-fry 4–5 minutes until they release their water and start to brown.
- 4
Add ginger, garlic, fermented black beans and chile flakes. Stir 30 seconds.
- 5
Pour in soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, broth and sugar. Bring to a simmer.
- 6
Carefully slide in the warmed tofu cubes. Do not stir aggressively — push them around gently with the back of a spoon. Simmer 3 minutes.
- 7
Give the cornstarch slurry a stir and pour it in. Cook 1 minute more, gently swirling the pan, until the sauce thickens and glosses the tofu.
- 8
Turn off the heat. Drizzle with sesame oil, scatter spring onions, and dust the top with the freshly ground Sichuan peppercorn. Serve over hot rice.
The Veganisation
Traditional → Plant-Based, swap by swap
Original
Ground pork
Plant-based
Minced shiitake mushrooms
Original
Lard or pork fat
Plant-based
Neutral oil + extra doubanjiang
Original
Chicken stock
Plant-based
Mushroom soaking water
Chef Notes
Get it right the first time
- →Doubanjiang is the dish. There is no substitute. The Pixian (郫县豆瓣) variety is the gold standard.
- →Toast and grind Sichuan peppercorns just before using — the má (numbing) volatiles fade quickly once ground.
- →Silken tofu gives the most authentic texture but breaks easily. Warming it in salted water first is the secret to keeping the cubes whole.
- →Always finish the dish with the peppercorn on top, not stirred in. The bloom of the má hits your nose before your tongue.
- →Serve immediately. Mapo tofu doesn't reheat well — the sauce breaks and the peppercorn aroma vanishes.
Serve with
Steamed jasmine rice (essential) · Stir-fried gai lan with garlic · Cold cucumber salad with vinegar · Chilled Tsingtao or jasmine tea
One Plate, Two Wins
Delicious tonight. Kind every night.
Every traditional dish has a plant-based soul waiting to be uncovered — you just have to listen to the spices, not the meat.
Hungry for more world flavors?
Explore another dish from our global vegan kitchen.