Ma Po Tofu
3/4 Cup (177 ml) vegetable broth
1 1/2 TB (22 ml) Mandarin sauce (try Asian stores, may sub with yellow bean sauce)
1 TB (15 ml) black bean sauce (available in Asian stores)
1/4 TS (1 1/4 ml) salt
1/4 TS (1 1/4 ml) garlic powder
1 TS (5 ml) vegan soup base powder
2 ea.16 oz. boxes (908 g) firm tofu, drained and cut into very small cubes
3/4 TB (11 ml) cornstarch
2 TS (10 ml) rice cooking wine (try Asian stores, may substitute with any vegan cooking wine)
1 TS (5 ml) chili paste (available in Asian stores)
Combine the first 6 ingredients in pan and stir. Place pan on high heat. When mixture reaches a boil, add tofu and stir again. Mix cornstarch with 2 TB (30 ml) water. When tofu mixture reaches a boil again, add corn starch mixture and stir again. Continue stirring until tofu mixture thickens; reduce heat to medium. Stir in vegan cooking wine and chili paste. Allow to cook another minute, then turn off heat. Let dish sit for 10 minutes for flavors to blend. Serve hot over rice.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Yeah I have been trying to get pf chang's ma po tofu.. i tried this recipe, it was a huge bust. Not only is it extremely difficult to find the ingredients, it's super tedious to prepare and it came out a gloppy mess.. nothing like pf changs. Please pillowtrot, share your recipe!
I live in Chongqing, the heart of Sichuan province, where mapo tofu is a staple. You really don't need all those crazy ingredients, just water, oil, red-pepper flakes (like the kind you sprinkle over pizza) and Sichuan numbing powder -- which you probably can't get in the US. I can post an authentic recipe if anyone's interested in something that spicy and oily, LOL