Frying at home is a bit of a pain, but it’s never quite as bad as I think it is once I actually get going. This is an outstanding veggie main, which would be easy to make vegan by swapping in another saturated fat for the butter.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- 800 g firm tofu, cut into bite-size pieces
- Cornflour
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 12 shallots, thinly sliced
- 8 mild red chilies, thinly sliced
- 12 cloves garlic, crushed
- 40 g fresh ginger, grated
- 50 g sweet soy sauce
- 50 g light soy sauce
- 50 g dark soy sauce
- 30 g sugar
- 30 g whole black peppercorns, roughly crushed
- Scallions, thinly sliced
Method
Heat a quantity of vegetable oil to 180-190 °C (350-375 °F) in a fryer or large pot.
Dust the tofu in cornflour, tapping off any excess, and then deep fry the pieces in the prepared oil until they’re lightly golden and crisp. Set them aside to drain. Take care to fry the tofu in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot.
In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Then add the shallots, chilies, garlic, and ginger. Sweat the alliums and aromatics until they’re nicely softened and just beginning to brown, around 15 to 20 minutes. Then add the soy sauces, sugar, and pepper, and bring the mixture to a simmer to slightly reduce the sauce.
When the sauce is smooth and glossy, add the tofu back to the pan and toss the tofu through the sauce.
Top the dish with the thinly sliced scallions.