Lion Dance Cafe's Salt and Pepper Tofu
COMMENTS
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Marilyn Domin on
Could you substitute shrimp? What would have to be changed?
Lion Dance Cafe's Salt and Pepper Tofu
Lion Dance Cafe's Salt and Pepper Tofu
Chefs Shane Stanbridge and C-Y Chia
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Our take on the popular dish was never officially on the menu, but has long been a secret favorite among friends and regulars as our go-to snack for gatherings and other events. This is not like your typical Salt and Pepper dish. The key is to blend three different types of peppercorns -- tingly and citrusy Szechuan peppercorns, musky white peppercorns, and earthy black peppercorns -- with a trio of dried and fresh chili peppers for a complex, spicy, umami, irresistible dish that comes together in no time.
Lion Dance Cafe is known for their uniquely bold "Authentic, not Traditional" meatless cuisine marrying James Beard semifinalist chefs C-Y Chia and Shane Stanbridge's combined Chinese-Singaporean and Italian heritages.
The Oakland-based duo, also known for their pop up S+M Vegan and food consulting work as Storm Now Creative, is currently publishing their long-awaited Lion Dance Cafe Cookbook: Authentic, not Traditional and preparing to relocate to Singapore.
Ingredients
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1 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
14 oz block of extra firm tofu, drained, cut into 1” cubes
at least 4 cups of neutral cooking oil for deep frying
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2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil
12 Tien Tsin chilies, or to taste
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 tablespoons dòuchǐ, aka preserved black beans
¼ cup jalapeño, small diced, (or less, to taste)
¼ cup Fresno chili, small diced (or less, to taste)
¼ cup celery, small diced
¼ cup scallions, white part only, ¼” thick slice
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½ cup fresh picked Thai basil
½ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
1.5 teaspoon Single-Origin Red Szechuan peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 /2 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon MSG
2 teaspoons sugar
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1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine (gf option: sub sherry cooking wine)
¼ cup scallion greens, ¼” thick slice
Directions
Lightly toast the Szechuan peppercorns in a dry pan for about 1 minute until fragrant and grind into a powder. Set aside.
Combine the starch and salt, and gently toss with the tofu to coat.
- In a countertop fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the frying oil to 350°F. Deep fry the tofu for 4-5 minutes or until crisped, stirring with a metal spoon to stop the pieces from sticking to each other. Drain and set aside.
Place a wok on high heat, and coat the inside with 2 tbsp oil. Once almost smoking, add the Tien Tsin chilies, immediately followed by the garlic, ginger, and douchi. Stir fry for 10 seconds, scraping the wok well with a wok spatula to prevent aromatics from sticking and burning.
- Add the jalapeño, Fresno chili, celery, and scallion whites, and stir fry for 10 more seconds.
Add the Thai basil and seasonings to the wok and stir fry for 20 seconds.
Lastly, add the cooking wine, scallion greens, and fried tofu to the wok, stir frying for 20-30 more seconds or until the sauce has mostly dried up and the tofu is coated with flavor.
Serve immediately on its own as a snack, or with rice.
Hi Marilyn,
Thanks for your question! This recipe hasn’t been tested with any protein other than tofu, but deep fried shrimp would be delicious with these seasonings! The main change I would make is to adjust the deep fry time for the shrimp. Unless they are very large or frozen, 90 seconds – 2 minutes should do the trick!
Warmly,
Evan
Oaktown Spice Shop