We’re planning out weekly food menus again and it’s working wonderfully. We eat better, spend less money and I’m less cranky when it’s already decided what we’re eating.

I’ve had a week and a half of holiday and we’ve been going here and there in Skåne, taking walks and enjoying ourselves. I’ve spent an unholy amount of time in the kitchen making up new recipes and cooking up a storm. It’s been a blast but it’s also been insane in this heat.

Yesterday I cooked up some mapo tofu using a recipe from Vegetarian Times. I was reading through the recipe when I realised it told me to use 12 oz of soy crumbles. I converted it to metirc and thought ‘holy shmoly that can feed and entire nation of hungry people’. Only, it said soy crumbles, not TVP and I don’t have the former.

So, here’s the recipe with my alterations, using TVP instead of packaged soy crumbles. It was soo delicious. This is one of my new absolute favourite dishes! (ps. aren’t my Swedish glasses awesome, they have dala horses on them!)

Mapo Tofu:

Serves 4

• 250 ml (1 cup) TVP mince
• 600 ml (2½ cups) vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp chinese soy sauce
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 4 green onions (about 4 tbsp)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp fermented black bean sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 150 ml (2/3 cups) water
• 1 package (about 400gr/14 oz) firm tofu
• 2 tbsp water
• 1½ tsp cornstarch
• 1½ tsp hot chili oil

Put TVP mince in a bowl and reconstitute it using hot vegetable stock. Add the soysauce and stir. While the TVP is swelling prepare the other ingredients. Chop green onions and garlic finely. Drain the tofu and cut it into 1 cm/½ inch cubes. In a large skillet on medium heat, heat canola oil and add garlic and 3 tbsp green onions. Saute for about 2 minutes. Drain the TVP mince of any excess liquid and add it to the pan. Add black bean sauce, sugar and the 150 ml (2/3 cup) water. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then add the tofu cubes. Simmer the tofu for about three minutes, until heated through. Whisk together the cornstarch with 2 tbsp water and add the cornstarch slurry to the pan. Cook for about a minute, until the sauce thickens a bit. Take off the heat and add the chili oil, stir through. Serve with rice and garnish with green onions. A little bit of chinese soy sauce is good with it.