This recipe is phenomenal not only in taste but visual appeal. The original recipe for this dish actually called for something like 8 fresh red chilis (??!!) and since the only fresh red chilis my local grocery store carries are Thai chilis, our first attempt at this dinner resulted in an insanely hot, as in too- hot- to- eat, inedible meal. It was however, still obvious that underneath all that heat this recipe was delicious and a keeper so with a few modifications here it is in all it’s glory. Hope you love it as much as I do!
Prepare all of your ingredients. In a large bowl, toss the tofu cubes with the cornstarch and toss well to coat evenly. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium heat and fry 1/2 the cubed tofu at a time to prevent overcrowding. Fry for about 6-8 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. When they are done transfer the tofu to paper towels and complete your second batch adding oil first if needed.
Remove any sediment from your pan and heat a couple tbsp of oil in the same pan. Add your shallots, chile, ginger, and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes or until all the ingredients are soft. Add your soy sauce and Blackening Spice mixing well. Add 1 tbsp of maple syrup and stir to combine. Add the tofu to the sauce and gently mix to incorporate and warm it. Add more syrup (another tbsp) if needed.
Finally stir in the green onions and serve!
Adapted from Miglore, Kristen. “Black Pepper Tofu from Yotam Ottolenghi”. Food 52 Genius Recipes.
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- Organic canola oil for sautéing
- 1 350 gram packages of firm tofu packed in water, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 6 small shallots thinly sliced
- 1 fresh red chile (go for milder ones) thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic crushed or very thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp freshly ground ginger
- 3½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp blackening spice (link in post)
- 5-6 green onions cut into 1¼ inch lengths
- In a large bowl, toss the tofu cubes with the cornstarch.
- Heat a thin layer of oil into a large frying pan or wok over medium heat and fry ½ the cubed tofu at a time to prevent overcrowding.
- Fry for about 6-8 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.
- When they are done transfer the tofu to paper towels and complete your second batch adding oil first if needed.
- Remove any sediment from your pan and heat a couple tbsp of oil in the same pan.
- Add your shallots, chile, ginger, and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes or until all the ingredients are soft.
- Add your soy sauce and blackening spice mixing well.
- Add 1 tbsp of maple syrup .
- Add the tofu to the sauce and mix well to incorporate and warm.
- Add more syrup (1 tbsp) if needed.
- Finally stir in the green onions and serve!
