International•healthy

salt and pepper tofu [椒鹽豆腐]

Salt and pepper tofu is crispy, fragrant and aromatic on the outside, soft and juicy when you bite into it.

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 15 min

Yield: 2 servings

Difficulty: MEDIUM

Ingredients

Quantities are shown as originally provided.

400g firm tofu, chopped into small cubes
½ cup cornstarch
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 scallions, chopped (white and green parts separated)
1 birds eye chilli
1 green chilli pepper
1 small/ medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 cup vegetable oil for shallow frying
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground white pepper
¼ tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns

Instructions

1
prepare the ingredients
2
Absorb excess water from the tofu using a kitchen towel. Then slice the tofu into 1 inch cubes, or smaller if you prefer to have it more on the crispy side.
3
Prepare the stir-fry ingredients. You can deseed the chillies if you don't want it too spicy. Finely chop chillies, red bell pepper, scallions and garlic. Make sure to separate the green and white parts of the scallions, as we'll save the greens for garnishing. Set aside.
4
Prepare the salt and pepper seasoning. Combine garlic salt, salt, white pepper and ground Sichuan peppercorn into a bowl and set aside.
5
Place cornstarch on a plate and toss all pieces of tofu until each side is evenly and lightly coated.
6
fry the tofu
7
Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan or pot over medium-high heat. Insert a chopstick into the oil to check if it's ready for frying (if bubbles form around chopstick, the oil is ready).
8
Add tofu cubes into the oil and fry each side for about 1-2 minutes or until it turns into a light golden brown. Then remove from pan and let excess oil drain on a paper towel.
9
For extra crispiness, fry the tofu cubes once more for an extra 1-2 minutes or until they have deepened in golden brown colour. Remove from pan and let excess oil drain on a paper towel.
10
stir-fry the chillis and aromatics:
11
Pour away the cooking oil from the pan but remain around 2 tbsp of oil.
12
On medium-high heat, add garlic, chillis and green onions. Stir-fry for about 15 seconds until aromatic. Then add the diced bell peppers and white parts of the scallion, and fry for about 30 seconds.
13
Add the fried tofu back into the pan, then sprinkle about 1 tsp of the salt and pepper seasoning and toss everything together.
14
Remove from heat and garnish with the green parts of the scallions. Sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper, and enjoy!

Ingredients

Instructions

Related recipes