Fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside, this tofu dish is a delight

This is the perfect combination of a crispy, fragrant crust and pillowy soft-centred tofu seasoned with a five-spice mix.

Five spice salt and pepper tofu.

Diana Chan

less than 2 min read

11:02AMJanuary 28, 2025

The Weekend Australian Magazine

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This is the perfect combination of a crispy, fragrant crust and pillowy soft-centred tofu seasoned with a five-spice mix.

Try my other dishes: long-life noodles and Malaysian red-braised chicken.

Delicious: five spice salt and pepper tofu. Photography: Armelle Habib 2024

This is an extract from The Golden Wok by Diana Chan (Hardie Grant, $50).

Five-spice salt and pepper tofu

Ingredients

• Neutral-flavoured cooking oil, for deep-frying, plus
• 2 tablespoons extra
• 500g firm tofu, drained
• 60g red Asian shallots, finely diced
• 20g garlic, crushed
• 10g long green chillies, finely sliced
• 5g bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced
• 20g spring onions, finely sliced
• Salt, freshly ground black pepper and five-spice, to taste

Spice mix

• 70g cornflour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon five-spice

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wok over a medium-high heat. To test if the oil is hot enough, put a wooden chopstick in the oil. If you see tiny bubbles gather around it, the oil is ready. Cut the tofu into 2cm cubes.
2. Combine all the spice mix ingredients in a large bowl. Add the tofu and toss to coat. In batches, gently drop the coated tofu into the hot oil and cook for 3-5 minutes until golden. Remove the tofu with a spider skimmer and drain on paper towels.
3. Discard the oil and clean the wok. Return the wok to a low-medium heat then add the extra oil.
4. Fry the shallots, garlic and chillies until fragrant. Return the fried tofu to the wok then add the spring onions. Season with salt, pepper and five-spice.
5. Serve immediately.

Serves 4