Chinese Salt & Pepper Tofu. Crispy fried tofu fried aromatics and salt and pepper! A delicious way to enjoy tofu in 20 minutes. Great as a main dish for the whole family to enjoy!
What is Chinese Salt and Pepper Tofu?
Salt and Pepper Tofu is a fried tofu dish featuring crispy stir fried with garlic, ginger, red chili, green onion with Shaoxing wine and a touch of sugar with lots of salt and pepper. The tofu is marinated with more salt and pepper with Chinese cooking wine and egg as well as cornstarch to make it sticky. It's a fantastic vegetarian Chinese tofu dish that can be served well with steamed rice and vegetables. Many Chinese restaurants or Chinese takeaways serve a variation of this dish. Sometimes instead of using firm tofu, they use fried tofu balls.
I love this Chinese recipe as it's quick, simple and easy. It's also a fantastic way to enjoy plant-based proteins when I don't feel like eating meat that day. I make it often for my husband whenever he wants some tofu.
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients for my chinese salt pepper tofu:
- Extra firm tofu
- Garlic cloves
- Ginger
- Red chili
- Green onion
- Sugar
- Shaoxing Wine or Dry Sherry Wine
- Neutral Oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Tofu Marinade
- Salt
- Black pepper or white pepper
- Shaoxing Wine or Dry Sherry Wine
- Egg
- Cornstarch or potato starch
How to make Chinese Salt and Pepper Tofu
Combine Tofu Marinade Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, combine tofu marinade ingredients. Set aside. The batter will be sticky but this is normal.
Dice & Pat Dry Tofu
Dice your tofu into cubes and pat them dry. Add tofu to the marinade and mix well. Allow this to sit for 5 minutes.
Heat oil
Heat vegetable oil or any neutral oil in a large pan on medium heat.
Fry Tofu until Golden Brown
To the pan, add in the marinated tofu shaking off any excess batter and fry in small batches. Fry your tofu until golden brown on each side.
Add Remaining Ingredients
Finally, add in garlic, ginger, red chili, cane sugar, green onions, and dry sherry over your tofu and quickly stir fry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Pat dry diced tofu as this allows the batter to stick better
- The marinade will be sticky but that's normal. Keep whisking until it's well combined.
- Allow tofu to marinate for 5 minutes to let the flavours soak in.
- Cook over medium heat and no higher or the tofu will burn.
Other Recipes You May Like!
- Chinese Salt & Pepper Fish
- Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken
- Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu
- Malaysian Curry Tofu
- Chinese Braised Tofu
📖 Recipe
Easy 20-min. Chinese Salt and Pepper Tofu
Ingredients
- 600 grams tofu extra firm, diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon ginger chopped
- 1 red chili pepper sliced
- 2 green onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1.5 tablespoon Shoaxing wine or Dry Sherry Wine
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Marinade:
- 2 tablespoon Shoaxing wine or Dry Sherry Wine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- 6 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine tofu marinade ingredients. Set aside. The batter will be sticky but this is normal.
- Dice your tofu into cubes and pat them dry. Add tofu to the marinade and mix well. Allow this to sit for 5 minutes.
- Heat vegetable oil or any neutral oil in a large pan on medium heat.
- To the pan, add in the marinated tofu shaking off any excess batter and fry in small batches. Fry your tofu until golden brown on each side.
- Finally, add in garlic, ginger, red chili, cane sugar, green onions, and dry sherry over your tofu and quickly stir fry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
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Rosemary
This is funny because I just added tofu to my grocery list! I think I crave tofu more in the summer when I want something lighter and nourishing. Thanks for this tofu recipe inspiration!
christieathome
Me too! Sometimes I really enjoy something light for the summer. Happy to share this recipe with you!
Sherri
Who needs take out when you can make a stunner like this at home? Looooove salt and pepper tofu! Totally drooling right now! 🙂
Rebecca Dillon
This looks so tasty!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
The addition of the red chili really brings all of the flavors of this dish alive and I loved your idea to use avocado oil. So perfect!!
heather
I love the spices and usually have this with seafood when out, but this is even better! Very good with sticky rice!
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Heather! So glad you enjoyed it!
Jen
Hi Christie…is there a substitute for the dry sherry wine?
Thank you
christieathome
Hi Jen, feel free to sub with Chinese cooking wine like Shaoxing wine. For a non-alcoholic sub, you can use any broth of your choice.