Salt And Pepper Tofu

Question 1

What is salt and pepper tofu?

Accepted Answer

This dish consists of firm tofu pieces cooked on a high heat and sautéed with a fragrant blend of spices, including salt, white pepper, Chinese five spices, garlic, onions, peppers and chillies.

Question 2

What kind of tofu should I use?

Accepted Answer

I recommend extra firm tofu for this salt and pepper tofu recipe, as it holds its shape better than soft tofu when deep frying. Shop-bought tofu often comes immersed in water to keep it fresh. The problem is that this water prevents the tofu from crisping up and taking in the flavour from the other ingredients.

However, pressing this water out will improve the texture and allow it to absorb flavour, so make sure you remove excess moisture from the tofu by pressing the block after you've drained the water.

Wrap the tofu in paper towels and place something heavy on top of the tofu. You can buy a special tofu press to completely drain the tofu and get the perfect texture.

Question 3

What shape should I cut the tofu into?

Accepted Answer

Generally speaking, the shape you cut the tofu into is up to you.
Personally, I recommend chopping your tofu pieces into small, bite sized one inch cubes, as you'll be able to crisp them up perfectly in the pan!

Question 4

What is Chinese salt and pepper seasoning?

Accepted Answer

It’s a delicious spice mix that brings big bold flavour to a variety of dishes.
Salt and pepper seasoning is hugely popular in the UK, especially in Liverpool – it's where salt and pepper chips originated – as well as in Scotland.

Chinese salt and pepper seasoning has been used in Chinese takeaways since the 1960s. It's becoming more and more popular, leading to many foodies making their own batch at home.

Question 5

How do you make Chinese salt and pepper seasoning?

Accepted Answer

It's easy! Chinese five spice seasoning is a blend of seven select ingredients. These are salt, sugar, Chinese five spice, crushed chilli flakes, garlic powder, ground ginger and ground white pepper.

To find out how to make the perfect batch of this flavourful spice blend, check out my Salt and Pepper Seasoning recipe.

Question 6

What's in Chinese five spice?

Accepted Answer

Chinese five spice is a spice mix that contains cinnamon, star anise, cloves, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds.

Question 7

How do you store salt and pepper tofu?

Accepted Answer

Salt and pepper tofu leftovers should be stored in an airtight container, once it has cooled down.

Your salt and pepper tofu leftovers will stay fresh for up to three days.

Question 8

Can you prep this ahead of time?

Accepted Answer

The seasoning can be made in a large batch and stored in an airtight container. You can use it at your own pace because it doesn't go off.
As for the rest, I recommend you make it fresh for the best results.

Description

Ingredients

Deep Fried Tofu

Instructions

Notes