Black Pepper Tofu

Name: Black Pepper Tofu
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: serves 4-6
Ingredients: 2 cups canola oil; 1 3 ⁄ 4 lb. firm tofu, cut into 1″ cubes; 1 ⁄ 2 cup cornstarch; 11 tbsp. unsalted butter; 3 tbsp. finely chopped ginger; 12 small shallots, thinly sliced; 12 cloves garlic, crushed; 8 red serrano chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced; 5 tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper; 3 tbsp. kecap manis (sweet soy sauce; available at onlinefoodgrocery.com ); 3 tbsp. light soy sauce; 4 tsp. dark soy sauce; 2 tbsp. sugar; 16 small scallions, cut into 1 1/4″ pieces; Cooked white rice, for serving

Serves
serves 4-6

TODD COLEMAN

The recipe for this spicy, fried bean curd comes from Plenty (Chronicle Books, 2011) by Yotam Ottolenghi. This recipe first appeared in our December 2011 issue along with our cookbook roundup Readable Feast. Get the recipe for Black Pepper Tofu »

The recipe for this spicy, fried bean curd comes from Plenty (Chronicle Books, 2011) by Yotam Ottolenghi. This recipe first appeared in our December 2011 issue along with our cookbook roundup Readable Feast.

Ingredients

2 cups canola oil
1 ³⁄₄ lb. firm tofu, cut into 1″ cubes
¹⁄₂ cup cornstarch
11 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. finely chopped ginger
12 small shallots, thinly sliced
12 cloves garlic, crushed
8 red serrano chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced
5 tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper
3 tbsp. kecap manis (sweet soy sauce; available at onlinefoodgrocery.com)
3 tbsp. light soy sauce
4 tsp. dark soy sauce
2 tbsp. sugar
16 small scallions, cut into 1 1/4″ pieces
Cooked white rice, for serving

Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Toss tofu and cornstarch in a bowl until evenly coated. Fry tofu until browned all over, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside; discard oil, and wipe skillet clean. Return skillet to medium heat with butter. Add ginger, shallots, garlic, and chiles; cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in pepper, soy sauces, and sugar. Return tofu to skillet; cook, stirring, until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Stir in scallions; serve over rice.

Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Toss tofu and cornstarch in a bowl until evenly coated. Fry tofu until browned all over, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside; discard oil, and wipe skillet clean. Return skillet to medium heat with butter. Add ginger, shallots, garlic, and chiles; cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in pepper, soy sauces, and sugar. Return tofu to skillet; cook, stirring, until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Stir in scallions; serve over rice.