Jú zi dòufu (Tangerine Tofu)

 

After coming across an article about Orange Chicken, a popular more sweet than sour American-Chinese take-away dish I dug a little deeper to find a dish from the Hunan province that uses tangerines. Whether it's traditional and authentic or not I don't know but it tasted great regardless.

Ingredients
serves 2 as main

350g Tofu, firm

1 tsp Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
4 tsp Shaoxing Wine

75g Cornflour

Vegetable Oil (for frying)

for the sauce

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/2 tsp dried red chili flakes
dried peel of 4 tangerines 
2 star anise
100ml veg stock
200ml  tangerine Juice (about 4 tangerines)
2 tbsp rice vinegar 
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp water 

to serve

1 spring onion, sliced
pinch of sesame seeds (optional)

Method

Drain the firm block of tofu then wrap in kitchen paper. Place between two chopping boards and weigh it down. Leave for 30 minutes to dry the tofu as much as possible.

In a large bowl, mix together the white pepper, garlic powder, sesame oil, salt, and Shaoxing wine. 

Once the tofu is ready chop into equal bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl of seasoning. Stir gently to coat evenly. Marinade for another 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile prepare the sauce. 

In a large frying pan or wok heat the oil over a medium temperature. Add the dried chili, dried tangerine peel, and star anise. Stir around the pan and cook for a minute before adding the tangerine juice, veg stock, sugar, light soy sauce, and rice vinegar.

Bring to a gently simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to infuse whilst you cook the tofu.

Using a deep fat fryer or a deep frying pan/wok bring vegetable oil to a medium high temperature.

Pour the cornflour into a shallow dish then roll the tofu over ensuring they are completely coated in the cornflour. 

Drop the tofu into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Remove and place on kitchen paper to drain. 

Remove the star anise, and tangerine peel from the sauce then bring back to a gently simmer. 

In a small bowl add the cornflour and water together, then add it to the sauce, stirring constantly.

Once it thickens, add the fried tofu. Gently stir to cover all the pieces in the tangy sauce without breaking them up.

Cook for a further minute or two then serve.

Serve with boiled rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and slices of spring onion.