Chinese style salt and pepper tofu

Crisp tofu cubes cooked with peppers and onion tossed in a spicy savoury salt and pepper seasoning.

For the first 26 years of my life I had never had salt & pepper or sometimes known as salt & chilli seasoning. I tended to stick to the same takeaway order before becoming more adventurous with food and I never really knew what ‘salt & pepper’ was. The day I tried a salt & pepper chip my life changed and I was positively obsessed! And needless to say I will never miss salt & pepper chips off of my Chinese takeaway order any more. However this seasoning works on just about anything and especially well with tofu. Chinese takeaway salt and pepper is my absolute favourite to order however its so easy and cheap to make at home. This is also a healthier option and is perfect to put in a Tupperware for lunch the next day!

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Ingredients and substitutes-

· Tofu- I used extra firm tofu in this recipe purely because of its ability to keep its structure. You can however use any level of firmness just be very careful when turning in the pan. But please be aware that silken tofu is not suitable for this recipe.

· Cornflour- The secret to the perfectly crisp tofu is cornflour. Lightly dusting the tofu in cornflour and frying in oil provides you with a crisp bite and soft centre.

· Bell peppers- I like to use a mix of colours of peppers in this recipe. Green adds a slightly bitter flavour whilst red are sweet. The mixture of flavours add a little more depth to the dish.

· MSG- MSG is the Chinese seasoning god. It’s the reason that takeaway Chinese always tastes that bit better than what you make at home. It gives a dish an elevated umami flavour. I highly recommend using MSG to really satisfy your takeaway cravings. Its readily available in all Asian supermarkets or you can buy online. You will not believe how good your food tastes with this seasoning.

· White pepper- White pepper is crucial for Chinese seasonings it provides the flavour without the sometimes overpowering heat of black pepper.

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Top Tips!

Crispy tofu-

In this recipe I coated the tofu in cornflour and fried in oil but it also works really well in the air fryer. Just dust in cornflour the same and pop an air fryer liner into your air fryer. Make sure to space out the tofu pieces, do in batches if needed. Spray on a little oil and air fry until crispy.

Seasoning-

If you don’t have all of the seasoning ingredients you can buy a cheats pre made salt and pepper seasoning but make sure it has MSG for that authentic takeaway flavour!

And now for the recipe!

Salt and pepper tofu

​Serves- 2 Time- 15 minutes

Ingredients-

• 280g extra firm Tofu

• ½ an onion

• ½ red bell pepper

• ½ green bell pepper

• 2 tbsp cornflour

• 2 tbsp neutral flavoured oil

• Sesame seeds to serve

Seasoning-

• ½ tsp white pepper

• 1 tsp chilli flakes

• 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice

• ½ tsp MSG (or salt)

Method-

1. Drain and pat the tofu dry then slice up into even sized cubes. Place the cubes into a big mixing bowl and sprinkle on the cornflour and give them a toss to make sure each piece is coated evenly.

2. Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and carefully place each coated tofu cube into the oil making sure they do not touch. (you may have to do this in batches).

3. Fry the pieces until golden on all sides and set them aside for later.

4. Roughly chop the onion and bell peppers into a similar size to the tofu. Using the same pan as the tofu was cooked in, toss in the vegetables and fry until soft.

5. Put all of the seasoning ingredients together in a separate bowl and stir making sure they are well combined.

6. Add the tofu back into the pan with the peppers and onion, add the seasoning mix and stir fry until the seasoning is combined and the tofu is warm again.

7. Serve up with some rice and top with sesame seeds.

FAQ-

· Can I bake the tofu?- Yes for the first cooking stage you can dust with cornflour and bake however the tofu, onion and peppers should be tossed together with some oil in the last step to ensure the seasoning sticks to everything and that its evenly coated.

· Can only tofu be used in this recipe?- This seasoning goes well on pretty much anything. You can try any protein, vegetable or even just toss in with some chips. You will love it on anything!

Why not try these other tofu recipes?

• Crispy tofu bites

• Spicy Thai tofu

• Lemon pepper tofu

• All tofu recipes

Did you make this recipe?

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