Best vegan cupcakes ever!

Ok I do not usually cook vegan anything, nor have I eaten anything vegan apart from salad and some traditional Korean dishes. But I have been itching to try out a few recipes , because I was curious and believed that vegan cooking was bland and cardboard tasting.


I decided to use the recipe from here . I saw her on Cupcake wars just last week,( never heard of the programme before and found it on line..rather interesting for sure!) And I have to say that it tasted better than any normal cupcake that I have had the chance to eat here in Korea and bake myself.

Though I tweaked the recipe to use gluten free flour, cocoa and soy milk, as well as tofu, but also I have made a batch for my son using this recipe and they seem to disappear with no complaints! ( Granted he is 3.5 and will scoff anything with icing on it! But sometimes he will ONLY eat the icing, but ate the whole thing so it meets his picky standards!)

 I cooked them at 180 for around 25-30 mins until the cake tester came out clean. I let them cool.

And I used left over frosting I had in the fridge that I had made for a client a couple of days before.
But for those of you who looove frosting with dairy in it then you can't go wrong with Martha Stewart's fluffy vanilla frosting BUT I have found the most amazing vegan frosting that is sinfully sinful here and here

Mapo Tofu - Spicy Pork and Tofu

Well, I have been having a hankering for some proper Chinese food ( not the stuff you can order from the restaurant) has been Mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐)  The real stuff I use to eat in China. You knw the stuff that is so hot that is makes your tongue numb and no amount of Bai jiu can affect you:)

So I have been trawling the internet for a recipe. One similar to the one I learnt from my friends Dad, and the closest one I found was one here 

It tastes so very very similar to the one I have been craving, but since I live in Korea find the exact ingredients..

And it turned out something like this....

The ingredients you will need...

1 block silken tofu (19 oz box)
1/4 lb ground pork ( I used Chicken mince)
3 tablespoons Sichuan spicy bean paste (辣豆瓣酱)
2 tablespoons chilli powder
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3 tablespoons chilli oil
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns (roasted and ground to powder)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon fermented black beans (rinsed and pounded)
2 stalks of leeks or scallions (chopped into 1 or 2-inch length)
2 gloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

* In light of the fact that Sichuan peppercorns and possibly Sichuan spicy bean paste are not readily available in Korea I just added more fermented black beans and the Korean sauce 두반장 - which has beans/chillies and yumminess all mixed into it)
And if you do happen to have Sichuan peppercorns you are a bloody lucky bugger! They are numbingly HOT! So bloody hot that they will make your lips and tongue numb if you use waaaay too much

Cut the tofu into small pieces, drain the water from the tofu and set aside.
Heat up a wok and pour in the cooking oil and chili oil.
Add the chopped garlic, ground pork, spicy bean paste and stir-fry until the pork is half-done.
Then add in chili powder, soy sauce, fermented black beans and stir-fry until aromatic. Add in the tofu and water; stir gently to blend the tofu (don’t break them) well with the sauce.
Lower the heat and simmer for about 3-5 mins or until the sauce thickens. Add in the roasted Sichuan peppercorn powder and chopped scallions.
Gently stir and blend well. Dish out and serve hot.
If you don't want it this spicy ( and this is the proper Sichuan spice level - Which for those of you who are unfamiliar is pretty bloody spicy!) add less Chilli oil and powder.