Black Pepper Tofu

Serves 4| Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 700g. tofu(Paneer)
• Cornstarch, to dust
• 11 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 12 small shallots(A small bulb which resembles an onion and is used for pickling or as a substitute for onion), thinly sliced
• 8 fresh red chiles (fairly mild ones), thinly sliced
• 12 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 Tbs. finely chopped fresh ginger
• 3 Tbs. sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 3 Tbs. light soy sauce
• 4 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• 5 Tbs. coarsely crushed black peppercorns 
• 16 small, thin green onions, cut into 1-1/4-inchs

Method:

Start with the tofu(Paneer). Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to come 1/4 inch up the sides and heat over medium-high. Cut the tofu(paneer) into large cubes.Toss them in some cornstarch and shake off the excess, then add to the hot oil. (You’ll need to fry the tofu pieces in a few batches so they don’t stew in the pan.) Fry, turning them around as you go, until they are golden all over and have a thin crust. As they are cooked, transfer them onto paper towels.

Remove the oil and then add the butter and melt it over low to medium heat. Add the shallots, chiles, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for about 15 minutes, stirring, until the ingredients have turned shiny and are totally soft. Next, add the soy sauces and sugar and stir, then add the crushed black pepper.

Add the tofu(Paneer) to warm it up in the sauce for about a minute. Finally, stir in the green onions. Serve hot