I really enjoy making this dish because it’s easy to prepare, vegetarian/vegan and packed with flavor. Perfect when you want something lighter.
The time required to make this dish is really just in the initial prepping of the ingredients. Once you start, the cooking time is barely 5 minutes.
It uses a unique ingredient which is the Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil With Black Bean. This legendary sauce is just one of many made by Lao Gan Ma. She is probably most known for the Spicy Chili Crisp, which has a cult following amongst professional and home chefs.
The story of the lady who founded it is well worth a read. Needless to say, she is now a very wealthy woman. Some people jokingly call it the “smiling lady sauce” due to her serious expression on the jar.
Here’s a wonderful dish from Shanghai, Easy Shrimp and Rice Cake Stir-Fry Recipe
Here’s a great spicy chicken dish, Easy Sichuan Chicken: Master the Velveting Technique For Moist Chicken
And my favorite Chinese dish, Kung Pao Chicken- Authentic Sichuan Recipe
A Taiwanese classic, Taiwanese 3 Cup Chicken Recipe- San Bei Ji
Looking to make your own chili oil, Ultimate Guide to Making Chili Oil for Delicious Dumplings
And here’s the perfect dish to use your chili oil, Quick Guide to Perfect Dumplings with Dipping Sauce
Here’s a link on how to stock your Chinese pantry, Essential Ingredients for Authentic Chinese and Thai Cooking
Looking for a list of recipes I come back to again and again, My Favorite Recipes
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Oil
14 Oz extra firm Tofu cut in small, 1/2-inch cubes
1 Tbsp Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil With Black Bean
1 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry Sherry
3 Garlic cloves, minced
Ginger Root, 2 inch piece minced
6-8 dried Chilis. Tien Tsin, Facing Heaven or Er Jing Tao.
1 Red Pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 Green Onion, cut in pieces
Sauce:
2 heaping Tbsp Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil With Black Bean
2 Tbsp Chinese Light Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Vegetable Broth
1 tsp Chinese Dark Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sugar
Pinch of Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Corn Starch
Preparation:
Prep all of your ingredients before starting to cook.
Add the Shaoxing wine and 1 Tbsp of LGM black bean paste to the cubed tofu to marinade. I’ve left it for up to an hour in the refrigerator and it imparts a nice flavor, but you can skip this step if you want a fast meal.
Heat your wok to smoking hot and add your oil. Stir fry the dried chili until they blister, add the red peppers and green onions. Finally, add the garlic, and ginger.
Once almost done, add tofu and then sauce mixture gently toss and allow to thicken.
Serve with rice. I prefer brown Jasmine rice.
Note: All of these ingredients are easily available in your local Asian market. If you are new to cooking Chinese food, I’ve posted a comprehensive pantry list. With this stocked pantry, you can cook most any Chinese dish. Once you buy these items they will last for a long time, and will allow you make a variety of dishes. Essential Ingredients for Authentic Chinese Cooking
This article is part of The Pasadena Chef Cooking School. Explore more cooking lessons, techniques, and ingredient guides here. The Pasadena Chef Cooking School
How to Make Lao Gan Ma Tofu Stir-Fry in 5 Minutes
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prep all of your ingredients before starting to cook.
- Add the Shaoxing wine and 1 Tbsp of LGM black bean paste to the cubed tofu to marinade. I’ve left it for up to an hour in the refrigerator and it imparts a nice flavor, but you can skip this step if you want a fast meal.
- Heat your wok to smoking hot and add your oil. Stir fry the dried chili until they blister, add the red peppers and green onions. Finally, add the garlic, and ginger.
- Once almost done, add tofu and then sauce mixture gently toss and allow to thicken.
- Serve with rice. I prefer brown Jasmine rice.