Black Pepper Tofu with Eggplant
A simple vegetarian weeknight stir fry
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
- 50 g plain flour
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- vegetable oil for deep frying
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 small Asian eggplants sliced thick
- 250 g firm tofu diced into 2cm x 2cm squares, 0.5cm thick
- 1 small red onion diced
- 1 small red capsicum diced
- 1 long red chilli finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves finely diced
- ¼ cup vegetable stock
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cooking caramel or dark soy
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp cornflour, mixed into a slurry with 2 tbsp water (optional, to thicken)
- 2 long green shallots finely sliced
- 1 small handful coriander leaves
Instructions
- Dry roast the Sichuan peppercorns in a hot wok for 20 seconds, then lower heat and stir for about a minute until aromatic. Crush in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Mix with the flour and season with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- Crush the black peppercorns and reserve separately.
- Heat vegetable oil in the wok on high. When just beginning to smoke, add the eggplant and shallow-fry until golden brown, then drain on paper towel.
- Toss the tofu in the flour mixture and fry until golden all over, with a thin crust. Reserve and clean out the wok.
- Add 1 tbsp oil to the wok. When just smoking, add onion, capsicum, chilli, garlic and crushed black pepper and stir-fry until fragrant.
- Add stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce and caster sugar and reduce slightly. Check seasoning, then add the tofu and eggplant to the sauce.
- Add cornflour and water mixture to thicken if desired.
- Garnish with shallots and coriander and serve with rice.