Mabo Tofu in donabe is one of my regular dishes.
Instead of making it with ground pork, this time, I made vegan version of Mabo Tofu with mushrooms. It came out so tasty!
For this dish, I use Classic-style donabe, "Hakeme".
First, I sauteed garlic, ginger, scallion, and minced fermented black beans in sesame oil. I also lightly sauteed some doubanjiang (Chinese hot bean paste) separately until fragrant before mixing with them.
Shimeji and sliced shiitake mushrooms were added. Just because I had some leftover, I also added some sliced fennel bulb(!)
Once the mushrooms were sauteed, dashi stock, sake, miso, soy sauce, and tofu were added. The ingredients were simmered for 6-8 minutes.
The broth was lightly thickened by stirring in the mixture of katakuriko (potato starch) and water. After a couple of minutes, the heat was turned off and the mixture was rested (with the cover on) for a few minutes (because Iga-yaki donabe has the remarkable heat-retention ability, after turning off the heat, it continues to simmer for a while).
My mushroom mabo tofu was ready. The flavor was so rich and tasty. Frenshly-made donabe rice made the nice accompaniment.
Here's my recipe:
Mushroom Mabo Tofu
Ingredients:
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small knob ginger, minced
1/2 scallion, minced
1tsp fermented black beans, minced
1/2 tsp ground Szechwan pepper
1 tsp dobanjiang (hot bean paste)
3-4 oz shimeji mushrooms
6-7 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup dashi stock (kombu and/ or shiitake base)
2 tbsps sake or Chinese rice wine
2 tbsps red miso paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 package (18-19 oz) soft tofu, drained and cut into cubes
1T each katakuriko (potato starch) and water
some minced scallion and shiso leaves
some la-yu (hot oil)
Procedure
1. In classic-style donabe, heat the sesame oil over medium heat.
2. Saute the garlic, ginger, scallion, fermented black beans, and Szechwan pepper until aromatic. Push them to one side of donabe and add dobanjiang to the other side and saute until aromatic. Stir them together.
3. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft.
4. Add the dashi stock, sake, miso, soy sauce, and brown sugar and stir. Add the tofu.
5. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Cover and simmer for 6-8 minutes.
6. In a small cup, whisk together katakuriko and water. Stir in the mixture to the donabe.
7. Simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Cover and turn off the heat. Let it rest for 3-5 minutes.
8. Garnish with some sliced scallion and shiso leaves. Drizzle some la-yu to enjoy.
Happy donabe life.
