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• 4 whole dried wood ear mushrooms (about 1/6 ounce)

• 1/4 ounce dried morel or porcini mushrooms, or a mix

• 1 (2-inch) piece of kombu (optional, see notes)

• 1 1/2 cups boiling water

• 6 ounces white button mushrooms, stems trimmed, quartered

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (see notes)

• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns, 1 tablespoon left whole, the other toasted and ground in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle

• 2 whole dried Chinese hot chiles

• 3 garlic cloves grated on a microplane grater

• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated on a microplane grater

• 4 scallions, whites finely chopped, greens thinly sliced, reserved separately

• 12 Chinese chives or regular chives cut into 1/2-inch segments

• 3 tablespoons minced yacai (Chinese preserved mustard root, see notes, optional)

• 2 tablespoons fermented chili broad bean paste (see notes)

• 2 tablespoons roasted chili oil (see notes)

• 1 1/2 pounds medium to firm silken tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1. Combine dried mushrooms and kombu (if using) in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup and cover with water. Place a paper towel or kitchen towel directly on surface of water to keep mushrooms mostly submerged. Set aside for 10 minutes to rehydrate.

2. Meanwhile, place button mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped into rough 1/4-inch pieces, about 6 to 8 one-second pulses. Combine chopped button mushrooms and oil in the bottom of a large wok. Heat over high heat, stirring constantly, until mushrooms are shriveled and well browned, 6 to 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer set over a small saucepan. Transfer fried mushrooms to a medium bowl and return oil to wok.

3. When dried mushrooms are rehydrated, strain through a fine mesh strainer set over a small bowl. Discard kombu. Discard all but 3/4 cups soaking liquid. Add cornstarch, wine, and soy sauce to liquid. Transfer drained mushrooms to a cutting board. Remove and discard hard central stems from woodear mushrooms, then finely chop all the mushrooms. Add to bowl with fried mushrooms.

4. Add whole Sichuan peppercorns and both chiles to oil in wok and return to high heat. Cook until fragrant and peppercorns have stopped sputtering. Do not overcook, or they will burn. Immediately strain through a fine mesh strainer, discard peppercorns and chiles, and return oil to wok.

5. Heat oil over high heat until lightly smoking. Add garlic, ginger, scallion whites, chives, and yacai (if using). Stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chopped mushrooms and stir-fry to combine. Add fermented chili broad bean paste and stir until all the vegetables are well coated. Stir mushroom liquid mixture to incorporate cornstarch, then add to wok. Cook, stirring constantly, until lightly thickened and reduced, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add tofu and carefully fold in, trying not to break it.

6. Cook until tofu is heated through. Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle with chili oil, and top with scallions and ground Sichuan peppercorns. Serve immediately with white rice.

Special equipment

food processor, wok

This Recipe Appears In

• Can I Make Vegan Mapo Tofu That’s Better Than The Real Thing?

• 1 (3 to 3 1/2–pound) butternut squash

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, or to taste

• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

• 6 bushy sprigs fresh thyme, divided

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped

• 3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

• 2 leaf bay leaves

• 1 (13.5–ounce) can light coconut milk

• 1 cup water, plus more as needed

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, to taste

• Optional garnishes: homemade croutons, fresh thyme, coconut milk, cayenne pepper and/or black pepper

1. Prep and roast the squash:

   Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment. 

   Cut off the squash stem. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Season the interior of the squash with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Press 1 sprig of thyme on top of the seeds in the cavity of each squash half. 

   Lay the squash cut-side-down on the sheet pan. Roast until the skin begins to wrinkle and turn brown, and you can easily slide a paring knife into the squash in a few places, about 1 hour. 

   Let the squash sit until cool enough to handle.
   
   

2. While the squash roasts, make the soup base:

   Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, 4 sprigs of thyme, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Sauté until the onion is very tender and translucent and the carrot is nearly tender, 7 to 10 minutes. If the onion begins to brown, drop the heat a bit. You don’t want the vegetables to brown. 

   Add the coconut milk and water. Adjust the heat so the liquid simmers. Simmer for about 10 minutes to infuse the flavors into the broth. 

   Remove from the heat and use tongs to pluck out and discard the thyme and bay leaves (don’t worry about removing any tiny thyme leaves that drifted into the broth).
   
   

3. Scoop out the squash:

   Use a soup spoon to scoop the seeds and stringy bits from the cavity of the squash halves and discard. Remove the peel and discard (you may need the assistance of a sharp knife to help cut away the peel).
   
   

4. Blend and serve:

   Add the lemon juice, maple syrup, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste) to the pot. If using a standard blender, transfer the roasted squash and coconut broth to the blender. If using an immersion blender, put the squash into the pot with the broth. 

   Blend until very creamy and smooth with no visible bits of vegetables. If the soup is too thick, add more water as needed and blend again. Taste, adding more salt and/or pepper as desired. 

   Tip

   When blending hot soup in a blender, keep the lid cracked so that some steam can escape. Otherwise, you could end up with hot soup all over your kitchen.
   
   

   Ladle the soup into bowls, add any favorite garnishes, and serve warm. 

   Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or store in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

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Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.