One of my favorite new recipes to cook is the Dragon Noodles on Budget Bytes. It’s a quick, easy, and deliciously spicy Asian noodle dish! The best part is the sauce: A mix of brown sugar, soy sauce, and sriracha!
If you know me at all, you would know that when it comes to food, the spicier the better! I love that wonderful tingle that lingers on my lips after every bite! If you don’t believe me, you should try Francisco’s Heartburn Chili!
As I was making the sauce last week, it reminded me of one of my Ngin-ngin’s staple Chinese dishes: Mapo Doufu! It’s actually a Szechuan dish with soft tofu and ground pork in a spicy sauce. My grandma usually mixes sriracha and ketchup in her sauce! How very authentic!
I decided to try making the dish with an adaptation of the Dragon Noodle sauce adding a little tomato paste, garlic, water, and some corn starch as a thickening agent! Check it out!
Meatless Mapo Doufu
1 package Soft Tofu (not silken), cubed
1 T. Oil
1 c. Eggplant, diced
2 Shallots, diced
1 Jalapeño pepper, de-veined and seeded, chopped
4 T. Sriracha (Rooster sauce)
3 T. Soy Sauce
3 T. Brown sugar
2-3 t. Minced Garlic
1 T. Tomato Paste
1 T. Corn Starch
1/4 c. Water
First, you will want to make your sauce. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sriracha, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, tomato paste, and corn starch. Place aside.
In a wok on medium-high heat, add 1 T. of oil. Once the oil is hot, add your shallots until they start to appear translucent. Then add your eggplant for about 2 minutes. Then add the chopped jalapeño. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Once the vegetables are all tender, throw in your cubed tofu and pour your sauce on top. Gently mix the ingredients together so as not to break the tofu pieces. Cover the wok on low heat for about 3 minutes. Then add 1/4 c. water and mix. Recover the wok and cook for another 5-6 minutes until the tofu is cooked.
Serve over rice with green onion as garnish.
This dish is an exciting blend of different textures with a real nice kick! If you’re a little nervous about the spicy element, cut back on the amount of sriracha in the sauce and maybe eliminate the jalapeño!
Enjoy!
Love,
Mimi
That sauce looks amazing… I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to spices, but it still sounds like a delicious combination of flavors!
i love mopo doufo so much. I always order it at restuarants. I’ve only bought the little spice packets though, so i’ll have to try this! mmmmm