Mapo Tofu with Elk

Mapo Tofu is often considered the gateway to tofu or meat-lovers guide to eating less meat. The key ingredient is Toban Djan, also known as Spicy Chili Bean Sauce. I found the Lee Kum Kee brand at my local Asian market.

You can adapt this recipe using veggies such as eggplant or zucchini instead of tofu. Any kind of protein will do, just remember wild game is super lean meat. Be generous with the lard or oil to get a proper glossy sauce going. THIS IS NOT DIET FOOD!

This is an easy 30-minute dinner, and leftovers heat up well. The key is to prep all ingredients because things come together quickly!

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Mapo Tofu with Elk

Author: Jenny Ly

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Ingredients

• 300 g soft tofu
• 2 tablespoons Spicy Chili Bean Sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon miso
• 1 tablespoon oyster
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (+ 2 teaspoons water)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 inch of ginger
• 2 tablespoons of lard
• 1/2 lb ground elk (or any meat)
• 1/2 cup water 
• Sliced green onion

Instructions

1. Drain and turn the tofu tray upside down onto a paper towel; wiggle and press the sides to release the tofu slowly and cut into 1-inch cubes. If your soft tofu breaks on you, don’t worry it does not affect the taste.
2. For the sauce, in a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons Spicy Chili Bean Sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame sauce, 1 tablespoon mirin, 1 tablespoon miso, 1 tablespoon oyster, and 3 tablespoon water. Side aside.
3. Make cornstarch slurry by mixing 2 teaspoon cornstarch, and 2 teaspoons cold water. Set aside.
4. Grate 3 cloves of garlic, and a 1-inch knob of ginger. Set aside.
5. Using a large wok, add in 2 tablespoons of lard. Immediately add in grated garlic and ginger. Before the garlic gets colours, add in the ground meat, and break up with a spatula until fully cooked.
6. Add in all of the sauce, stir until meat is fully coated. Gently slide in the tofu, and mix. Add enough water to create a sauce, about 1/2 cup. Gently coat the tofu in the sauce using a spatula. Bring to a boil.
7. Pour in the cornstarch slurry around the edges of the pan. Once the sauce thickens, turn off the heat right away. Do not over boil, or else the thickening properties of cornstarch will "break" and go back to being watery. If this happens mix more slurry and add it to the pan. 
8. Pour into the serving dish and garnish with green onion.
9. Serve Mapo Tofu over a bowl of hot jasmine rice.

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Tag @chasingfoodclub on instagram and hashtag it #chasingfood

All the credit goes to Namiko Hirasawa Chen (Nami) at One Cookbook for inspiring this post. Just when I was about to give up on finding a Mapo recipe I enjoyed, her simple method and comforting flavours gave me hope to keep experimenting and finally I found a balance that worked for wild game.

Happy cooking!

Jenny Ly