Vegetarian Star

Mark Bittman, the vegan until dinner flexitarian advocate, recently discovered joy in creating Ma Po Tofu without the pork.

He described his experience in the New York Times:

“First I started a batch of the mixed grains. Then I slow-cooked about 20 of the peppercorns in oil (I was too lazy to grind them, another alternative), with three dried chiles. I removed them when the oil was fragrant (no one wants to bite on a peppercorn). Into that oil, I stirred about a quarter cup of the bean paste, which I realized for the first time is a cousin of miso.”

“I tasted the tofu thing, and added both soy sauce and salt. I scooped some grains in the dish – thanks to the black and brown rice and black sesame seeds they looked vaguely like pork (as it happened; no planning there, but I’m not lying either) – and topped it with the tofu mix. And the thing was so good I made it again two days later.”

Sounds like Mark learned being vegan at dinner’s not so bad either.

If you’re looking to attempt vegan ma po tofu, try this recipe any time of day.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
• Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
• Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
• Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
• Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro