VEGAN JAPANESE
Chef and food writer Tim Anderson shares three inventive recipes
1 HOUR 40 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY |
A couple of years ago, I was so hell-bent on making the perfect mapo tofu that I cooked it four times a week. I tried many recipes but kept coming back to the classic pork version – a shame really, because mapo tofu is so nearly vegan. Then I realised that it was the meat’s texture, not its flavour, that was so important to the dish. So instead of replacing pork with something soft like mushrooms, I tried using chewy wholegrains (namely freekeh) instead – and voila! We had vegan mapo tofu lift-off.
There exists in Japan a sort of domesticated version of mapo tofu, which is sweeter and much less spicy. But it’s the hot, numbness of the Sichuan original that I love. This recipe calls for two Chinese products: the preserved black beans can be omitted if you can’t get them; and doubanjiang can be replaced with miso but you’ll have to add a bit more chilli to give your mapo tofu the requisite kick. Remember that the cooking time varies depending on the grain that’s used – as little as 10 minutes for buckwheat, but up to 45 minutes for spelt.
firm or extra-firm silken tofu 600-700g, cut into 21/2 cm cubes wholegrains (such as freekeh, buckwheat, pearled spelt or pearl barley) 100g sichuan peppercorns 1Ω tbsp dried red chillies 4, or 1 heaped tsp of dried chilli flakes vegetable oil 4 tbsp bird’s-eye chilli 1, finely sliced garlic 4 cloves, finely sliced ginger 10g, finely grated leek 1, halved and cut into 5mm slices preserved black beans 1 tbsp (optional – see cook’s notes) chilli bean paste (doubanjiang/toban jang) 80g (see cook’s notes) caster sugar 1Ω tbsp dashi 500ml (see below) toasted sesame oil 1 tbsp cornflour 1Ω tbsp, mixed with a little water mushroom ketchup and/or soy sauce to taste coriander a small handful, roughly torn toasted sesame seeds for sprinkling sansho pepper to serve (optional – see cook’s notes)
DASHI kombu 10g (see cook’s notes) dried shiitake mushrooms 15g
• For the dashi, put the kombu and dried mushrooms in a pan with 800ml of water and set over a low heat. Slowly bring to a very low simmer – you should see a few little bubbles breaking the surface. Remove from the heat, then leave to infuse for at least 1 hour – it will take a while for the mushrooms to fully hydrate and release their flavour into the dashi. Remove the mushrooms and squeeze them out like a sponge, then pass the liquid through a sieve, catching the resulting dashi in a container. Set aside.
• Bring a pan of salted water to a simmer, then poach the tofu for 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a tray to air-dry.
• Return the water to the boil and add the grains. Cook until al dente. Drain well and set aside.
• Toast the sichuan peppercorns and dried chillies in a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat until aromatic, then remove. Leave to cool, then grind to a coarse powder in a spice grinder or mortar. Add the oil to the frying pan and put over a high heat, then add the bird’s-eye chilli, garlic, ginger, leek, black beans (if using) and cooked grains. Fry until the leeks soften slightly, then add the chilli bean paste, sugar, and ground sichuan pepper and chilli mixture. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often. Add the dashi and sesame oil. Bring to the boil, then stir in a spoonful of the cornflour-water mixture. Let the sauce boil for a few minutes to thicken – add more cornflour if you want it thicker. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with mushroom ketchup and/or soy sauce. Gently stir in the tofu to coat the tofu without breaking it up.
• Serve with the coriander and sesame seeds sprinkled on top, and lots of sansho pepper.
PER SERVING 521 KCALS | FAT 26.8G
SATURATES 3.4G | CARBS 43G | SUGARS 11G
FIBRE 7G | PROTEIN 23.6G | SALT 1.7G