TOMATO MAPO TOFU PASTA

Serving Size 6

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

Created by Ye Ji Hong as part of the CIA Tofu Innovation Challenge

 

Chili Oil:
Canola oil, or any neutral oil ½ cup
Chili powder 3 Tbsp.

Crispy fried shallots:
Shallot, thinly sliced 3 ea.
Canola oil, or any neutral oil 2 cup

Grilled vegetables:
Garlic, minced, divided 2 ½ Tbsp.
Herb, Thyme/Basil, minced 1 tsp.(each)
Asparagus, removed stems 6 ea.
Bok choy, halved 3 ea.

Mapo Tofu Sauce:
Firm tofu 14 oz.
Potato starch, divided 6 Tbsp.
King oyster mushroom 7 oz.
Ginger, minced 1.5 Tbsp.
Scallion, white part, chopped 4 ea.
Hot Bean Paste (Doubanjiang) 4 Tbsp.
Soy Sauce 5 Tbsp.
Sugar 3 Tbsp.
Ketchup 2 Tbsp.
Water 3 cup
Tomato Whole Peeled-Can 10 oz.
Oil, for frying as needed
Salt & Pepper as needed
Red Peppers, seeded, small diced ½ ea.
Yellow Peppers, seeded, small diced ½ ea.
Noodles, any wheat or pasta noodle 9 oz.

Preparation

  1. Make Chili Oil: Heat 1/2 cup of oil over medium-high heat in a pan. Do not allow the oil to smoke. If it smokes, remove it from the heat to reduce the temperature. Turn off the heat and carefully pour the hot oil over chili powder. Strain the mixture through a sieve and keep the oil separately.
  2. Make Crispy fried shallots: Add sliced shallots to the room-temperature oil and stir continually throughout the cooking process until golden brown. Strain and season with salt, then lay on a paper towel to soak up excess oil.
  3. Make Grilled Vegetables: Combine 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of herbs, and 1/2 cup of oil remaining from frying shallots in a bowl. Coat the bok choy and asparagus evenly with the marinade. Grill the vegetables until tender and slightly charred.
  4. Make Mapo Tofu Sauce: Cut tofu into 1” cubes and season the tofu cubes with salt and pepper, then coat with 5 tablespoons of potato starch. Set them aside. In a sauce pot, add 2/3 of the chili oil and sauté the mushrooms for 4-5min. Add the remaining 1 ½ tablespoon of garlic, ginger, and scallion and sauté for another minute until fragrant. Stir in hot bean paste, soy sauce, sugar, and ketchup to the sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add water and the whole peeled tomatoes, then simmer for another 15-20min. Fry the starch-coated tofu until golden brown, then season with salt and pepper. Add diced red/yellow peppers to the sauce and the remaining 1/3 chili oil according to the desired spiciness. Mix 1 tablespoon of potato starch and 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Add to the sauce and turn off the heat when the sauce becomes glossy. Add the crispy tofu to the sauce. Cook the pasta noodles in a separate pot of boiling water. Serve the pasta noodles with the Tomato Mapo Tofu sauce, topped with crispy fried shallots and grilled vegetables as a garnish. Enjoy!

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