I usually make a Japanese style mapo tofu but wanted to try the Sichuan style, and make it vegan. This seemed like a great recipe but the end result was horribly bitter due to the peppercorns. Upon looking at the original blog, they updated their non-vegan version to add the peppercorns later in the process, but the vegan version still has this as the first step. If I make this again I'll definitely be following the traditional recipe, subbing in the mushrooms for the pork.
