Chinese•healthy

Salt and Pepper Tofu (Jiao Yan Dou Fu, 椒盐豆腐)

Tender tofu with a golden, crispy crust and super aromatic seasonings, salt and pepper tofu can be made to perfection at home.

Ingredients

Quantities are shown as originally provided.

12 oz tofu, firm or medium-firm, at room temperature
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour (aka plain flour (see note 1))
2 tablespoon cornstarch (or potato starch/tapioca starch)
½ teaspoon baking powder (optional, see note 2)
½ teaspoon salt and pepper seasoning (shop-bought or homemade (see recipe below))
Neutral cooking oil (for shallow frying or air-frying)
2 tablespoon minced shallot (or onion)
2 tablespoon minced chili pepper
2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 stalk scallion (finely chopped)
½ teaspoon salt and pepper seasoning (shop-bought or homemade (see recipe below))
1 teaspoon whole Sichuan pepper (remove the black seeds if any)
½ star anise
½ teaspoon sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
4 teaspoon salt

1
Cut tofu into cubes (about 1 inch/2½ cm each side).
2
Sift flour, starch and baking powder into a large plate. Add ½ tsp of salt and pepper seasoning then mix well.
3
Use a clean kitchen towel or kitchen paper to pat dry the tofu cubes then put them into the flour mixture. Evenly and thinly coat all sides. Use hands to remove excess flour.
4
Heat up oil in a wok/pan over medium-high heat (the oil should be generously covering the entire surface). Gently put in tofu (Don’t overcrowd. Fry in two batches if necessary). You should see bubbles appearing around the tofu straight away, otherwise, the oil isn’t hot enough yet.
5
Use chopsticks or tongs to flip the tofu several times to ensure each side is evenly fried. Transfer out to a plate lined with kitchen paper (to soak excess oil) when all sides are nicely golden.
6
Remove most of the oil leaving about ½ tablespoonful in the wok/pan. Add shallots, chili pepper and garlic. Fry over medium heat for about 1 minute.
7
Add the fried tofu cubes, chopped scallions and ½ tsp salt & pepper seasoning (or to taste). Toss briefly to season evenly. Dish out and serve immediately.
8
Put Sichuan pepper, star anise, sesame seeds, fennel seeds and salt into a pan. Toast over low heat while stirring from time to time.
9
Once the salt darkens slightly and the spices become very fragrant, remove from the heat then grind in a mortar or a spice grinder (see note 3).