Tofu (Bean Curd) in Chilli oil
Tofu (Bean Curd) in Chilli oil
Changyi Zhen
This dish is very hot and the recipe comes from a chef in Sichuan province of China, where we had gone to see the elusive pandas in their natural habitat. We failed miserably in our attempt, in spite of climbing and trekking in wet bamboo forests for days on end. It was very cold and muddy. Pandas were very secretive, probably sitting quietly only few yards away from us, because we saw frequent evidence of freshly eaten bamboo shoots and their fresh, still steaming ?poo?!! It got the scientists in our group very excited, trying to work out the age of the panda from the size of their poo, I tell you!
Everyday, when we returned from our exhausting treks, we were served excellent food, prepared by the local chefs, mostly made from the local produce. They even showed us the long and laborious process of making tofu, which I have to say, is not something I will recommend you try at home. I managed to get a couple of recipes from them, though they did not speak any English and we did not know any Chinese. The translators did not always know how to explain. Occasionally, we went into their kitchen, which was very messy, cold and wet. However, I managed to write down a few recipes by observing them, as they were cooking our lunch/dinner. Also see Tofu Balls -Mamta
Ingredients
200 gm. fresh bean curd or tofu
1 tbsp. cooking oil to fry tofu
1 tbsp. cooking oil mixed with 1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tbsp. garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tbsp. black bean paste (with few solid bits in it)
2 tbsp. spring onion greens, sliced/chopped
2 tbsp. chilli oil, including the solid residue from the bottom of the jar
Instructions
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a wok and gently fry the tofu until very lightly browned. Keep aside.
Heat the cooking oil and sesame oil mix.
Fry ginger and garlic until lightly brown.
Add black bean paste and stir fry for a few seconds.
Add spring onion greens and chilli oil and continue frying for another minute or so.
Add tofu and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Take out in a serving dish and serve hot or cold with a Chinese meal.
If it has been cooked well in advance, stir it up a little before serving so that tofu is well coated in chilli oil again.
Notes
It is a very hot dish and is eaten as a side dish, in small amounts, almost as a pickle.