Mapo Tofu with Shimeji Mushroom

First of all, it's not to late to say a Happy Chinese New Year to everyone who celebrate it! May your new year filled with happines - love - blessing and prosperity... Gong Xi Fat Chai! :)

Even I'm a christian, since my ancestry is chinese so CNY always bring my memory back to my childhood. When my grandfather and grandmother still alive, all the family member always gathered together. When I said all, it's seriously ALL. From aunty to uncle, causin to nephew and niece, grandchild,   brother, sister and even the family member that not blood related! 

But since I'm get merried and lived in another city, that moment is hard to find. 

And one more, the CNY is a day when my kitchen is closed! Haha ha!

I choose to have a great day with my family to go outside (often at the mall or other vacation destination) and have a CNY dinner together :) 

This year we decide to go to one of the mall which have a CNY event and be decorated. 

Mapo tofu is one of popular chinese dish, you can find it almost in every chinese restaurant. One of the reason why this dish is so popular is because it's simplicity and richness flavour at the same time. 

Mapo tofu originated from the Sezchuan province, so you can guess this dish is certainly spicy enough for non-asian people. But as always, for food, we can always adjust the flavour with our palate :)

The dish is usually cooked with minced meat, pork or beef, but today I want to make the vegetarian version :) 

Ingredients :

• 2 Silken Tofu (or you can use any regular tofu, non-seasoned, I use egg tofu today since I run out silken tofu)
• 1 pack Shimeji Mushroom (or you can use shitake or ear jelly mushroom)
• 3 cloves Shallot (always remember that asian shallot is smaller)
• 3  cloves Garlic 
• 3 stalks Scallion 
• 1 tbsp Chili Bean Sauce/ Doubanjiang
• 1 tbsp Black Bean Sauce
• 1 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce (made from mushrooms)
• 1 tbsp Ketchup
• 2 tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine (or you can use dry sherry) 
• 1 tbsp Cornstarch + 2 tbsp Water (set a side) 
• 2 tbsp Canola oil or another neutral oil. 
• 1/4 cup Water/ Vegetable Stock 
• (you can adjust the spiciness with adding, chili oil, or Bird Eye Chili, but I will skip the step this time since I have this dish in the morning today)

Directions : 

• In a bowl, mix : ketchup, vegetarian oyster sauce, chili bean sauce, cooking wine, black bean sauce, set a side. 
• Chopped : garlic, shallot and ginger. 
• Slice the scallions, use the white part for cooking and the green part for garnish. 

• Cut the root part of the mushrooms, saparate them one another, rinse in a colander in a running water, set a side. 
• Cut the egg tofu into a cubes. (at this stage, you can choose to deep fry the tofu first or not. If you want to deef fry the tofu, you can mix the tofu first with constarch, deef fry until just the skin is change color.)

• In a pan/ wok with a medium high heat, stir fry the garlic, ginger, shallot and the white part of the scallion with canola oil until fragrant. (add in the chili oil or the bird eye chili, if you want the dish more spicy)
• Add in the sauce mixture into the pan, stir for a few second. Add in the water/ vegetable stock, shimmer for 1 minute

• Stir in the mushroom, saute for a minute, turn the heat to medium heat.
• Add in the tofu, and stirring gently. Shimmer for 5 minutes.
• Pour the constarch mixture into the dish, mix evenly. 
• After 10 second, lift the dish from heat. 
• Garnish with the green part of the scallion. 
• Serve with steamed rice.
• Enjoy! ;) 

Szechuan dish always famous with their rich flavor and spice. Like this dish. 

Since there's rarely to found a healtier dish with rich flavor this day, so yes... I'm in love since the first day I taste the dish. 

Have this authentic szechuan dish with a fragrant steamed rice or even with a brown rice porridge to make it more healtier. Then you will know why this dish is so popular, in Szechuan and overseas ;) 

Stay Healthy and Loves Your Kitchen More! ;) 

Difficulty : easy

Preparation : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

 is on Foodbuzz Top9 at 29 Jan'12 choosen from 5777 post! YaY! 

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