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Tofu with Sichuan peppercorn and chili is spicy and flavourful. The ginger, garlic, and soy sauce are combined with Sichuan peppercorns to achieve the perfect umami flavor. In addition, the crispness of tofu pairs well with the delicate flavors of the spice, and this vegan dish goes perfectly with rice and noodles.
What is Sichuan PepperCorn?
It's a beautiful spice from the Sichuan province of China. This has intense, fruity flavors. It's not very spicy but increases the flavor in a way that can only be experienced.
How to Prepare Tofu Correctly for a Crisp Texture
A few points to remember for making crispy tofu-
- Tofu has a high water content. It's essential to remove most of it before baking or frying. To this, wrap tofu with thick layers of paper towel and place a heavy object over the tofu. You can use a clean cheesecloth as well.
- I always press it with a brick wrapped in tin foil. However, you can use mortar pestles or heavy Dutch pans.
- Furthermore, coating tofu with cornstarch is really important. Just use dry cornstarch and dust off excess flour before baking / frying.
- A light coating over the tofu ensures the perfect crisp outer surface and soft from the inside texture. The sauce will be able to seep inside the tofu to make it more flavourful.
What Ingredients are Needed For Tofu with Sichuan PepperCorn and Chili?
You will need-
- Extra Firm Tofu
- Cornstarch
- Oil (If Deep Frying + Little bit for Making Sauce)
- Chopped Garlic
- Chopped Ginger
- Green Chili (Optional)
- Dry Red Chili (Optional)
- Red Chili Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Sichuan Peppercorn
- Black Peppercorn
- Brown Sugar
- Scallion (green onion)
How to Make Tofu with Sichuan PepperCorn and Chili
The first step is to remove water from the tofu. To do this, wrap it in thick layers of paper towel and place a heavy object on it. Then, cut tofu into cubes of your desired size. Afterward, sprinkle some cornstarch and mix it with salt.
After that, coat the tofu well and dust the excess flour. Then, bake, air fry, deep fry, or shallow fry tofu according to your choice. Remove tofu to a plate. Now, it's ready to use in the sauce.
To make the sauce, heat a pan. Then, add oil and heat it. Add crushed Sichuan peppercorn and black peppercorn to it. After that, add dry red chili and green chili to it. Saute for one minute.
Add chopped garlic, ginger, and green onion to it. Then, stir it till it looks light brown. Then, add soy sauce, chili sauce, and brown sugar to it. Let it cook for 30 seconds. Add 3 cups of water mixed with ½ tbsp of cornstarch.
After that, let it cook for 1 minute on medium flame. Add crispy tofu to it. Cook again for 1 minute on a slow flame. Taste the sauce. Finally, garnish with scallions and serve over rice or noodles.
Can You Customize the Spice Level in this Recipe?
Of course! You can reduce or increase the heat level according to your taste buds. This sauce is not spicy, but if you want to reduce the spice level, do not use dry red or green chili. You can reduce the quantity of red chili paste as well.
You May Want to Check Out These Tofu / Paneer Recipes as Well
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Tofu with Sichuan PepperCorn and Chili
Ingredients
For Making Crispy Tofu
- 13 Oz Extra Firm Tofu
- 3 Tbsp Corn Starch
- ¼ Tsp Salt
- Oil for shallow frying ,deep frying or air frying.
For Making The Sauce
- 1 Tsp Oil
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Ginger
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Garlic
- 2 Dry Red Chili
- 3 Green Chili
- 2 Tbsp Red Chili sauce(Do not use ketchup)
- 1 Tsp Brown Sugar
- ½ Tsp Sichuan Pepper Corn(Roughly Crushed)
- ½ Tsp Black Pepper Corn(Roughly Crushed)
- 15-20 Small Scallion PIeces.
- ½ Tbsp Corn Starch
- 3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1.5 Cups Water
Instructions
Making of Crispy Tofu
- Wrap tofu in thick layers of paper towel for 30 minutes.Cut the cubes of tofu in your desired shape/Size.
- Coat tofu with corn starch and salt mixture.Dust off the excess flour.
- Take a pan /Wok. Add little oil for shallow frying .Shallow fry tofu cubes till they look golden from all sides. Remove in a plate.For Air frying pre heat the air fryer on 400 F for 5 minutes.Brush tofu with oil and air fry for 7-8 minutes on 400 f.You can make it as crispy as you wish .Your time can vary depending on your air fryer and size of the tofu.
- Take a pan/Wok. Add one tsp oil to it .Heat it .
- Add sichuan Peppercorns and black pepper to the pan .Saute it and add dry red chili and green chili to it .Saute on low flame .
- Add chopped garlic ,chopped ginger to it .Cook for 30 seconds.Add green onion /scallion and stir it once.
- Mix chilli sauce with soy sauce and add them to the wok.
- Stir it for 30 seconds .Add brown sugar to it .Let it cook for 30 seconds.
- Mix water with Corn starch and add it to the wok.
- Let it cook for 1 minute on slow/medium flame .
- Mix tofu with the sauce gravy and cook for 1-2 minutes or till your desired consistency.
- Tofu with Sichuan Peppercorn and Chili is ready to serve.
- Enjoy.
3 cups of water must be a typo. I would use a MAXIMUM of 1 cup of water if you want to be able to taste any of the flavors.
Hi Bll,
No its not typo .These are all carefully taken measurements.Gravy will be thick after cooking since we are using corn starch .Secondly in this recipe I have kept the consistency more curry like .Depending on their taste people can reduce the quantity of water thoug(if they want less sauce)
Thank you so much for stopping by.
I just tried this recipe and it was really good! I put some zucchini and mushrooms in as well, they went well with the sauce.
One thing I noticed was the structure was sometimes a bit grainy/sandy, I think it was the pepper. Did I maybe not grind it far enough or is that just something that happens? At first I thought I did something wrong coating the tofu, but the grainy bits were black.
Hi Melissa ,
Thank you so much for your feedback .Addition of your fav.vegetables sounds lovely.I am so glad that you liked it.
This looks delicious - what kind of red chili sauce did you use?
Hi Brian,
If I am not making my home made Schezwan sauce I use Sri racha sauce. It’s easily available and works in all types of Asian cuisine.
Hope it helps.