Tender tofu with a golden, crispy crust and super aromatic seasonings, salt and pepper tofu can be made to perfection at home.

Salt and pepper tofu sprinkled with minced chili pepper, garlic and shallots

Jump to:

What is salt & pepper tofu
Which type of tofu?
Prepare the tofu
Pan-fry or air-fry
Combine the dish
Homemade salt & pepper seasoning
Other tofu dishes
📋Recipe

What is salt & pepper tofu

Salt and pepper tofu (Jiāo Yán Dòu Fù/椒盐豆腐) is a classic Chinese dish that’s famous for its multi-layer texture, crispy outside and tender inside, and its delectably aromatic flavour. Either you’re already a fan of tofu or you’re sceptical about trying this ingredient (a regular food item in China but it’s often associated with vegetarian/vegan diets in the West), I highly recommend you give it a try!

Before you carry on reading the detailed instructions, I’d like to point out four key things to follow which will make your dish stand out:

Dry and coat the tofu at the right moment
Make sure the oil is hot when pan frying
Keep it brief when combining with aromatics
Make your own salt and pepper seasoning when possible

A plate of Chinese salt and pepper tofu with salt and pepper seasoning on the side

Which type of tofu?

For this recipe, I prefer firm or medium firm tofu, known as Lao Dou Fu/老豆腐 or Bei Dou Fu/北豆腐 in Chinese, since it’s less likely to break than soft tofu when being handled. Also, it has a more pronounced soybean taste which I appreciate very much (I use the same type for Scallion Tofu, Sichuan Braised Tofu, etc.).

However, I’d suggest you avoid the extra firm tofu that you’d find on vegan food shelves in mainstream supermarkets as their texture tends to be dry and crumbly, quite different from the Chinese/Asian type.

Soft tofu (Nen Dou Fu/嫩豆腐) which is often used in Mapo tofu can be a substitute but you need to be extra gentle when handling it. However, Japanese style silken tofu (Juan Dou Fu/绢豆腐) which is great for soups and salads, e.g. Silken Tofu with Scallion Dressing, Century Egg and Tofu Salad, is not recommended for this dish.

Do I need to press the tofu?

Regarding tofu preparation, you might have heard of pressing tofu (or soaking it in salty brine) to remove some of the water. You don’t need to do this for today’s salt and pepper tofu. Following the steps explained in the next sections, you’ll achieve the best combination of texture: crispy outside and moist inside.

Drain off the liquid in which the tofu is packed. Ideally, leave it to sit until it comes back to room temperature if it was chilled (very cold tofu will dramatically lower the oil temperature when frying). Cut it into cubes. Each side measures about 1 inch/2.5 cm. Set aside.

Prepare the tofu

To create a golden, crispy crust for the tofu cubes, you’ll need to prepare a dry mix for coating. Here is what it consists of:

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour/plain flour. Replace it with starch if you wish to make the dish gluten-free.
2 tablespoon cornstarch, or potato starch/tapioca starch
½ teaspoon baking powder. It increases the crispiness slightly and helps to achieve the golden colour. However, please feel free to skip it if unavailable.
½ teaspoon salt and pepper seasoning (recipe for the homemade version explained in later sections)

For a better coating result, I suggest you sift flour, starch and baking powder before mixing with the salt and pepper seasoning.

drying tofu and coat it with flour and starch

Use a clean kitchen towel or kitchen paper to pat dry the tofu cubes then put them into the flour mixture. Evenly and THINLY coat all sides then gently remove any excess flour with your fingers.

🛎 Tip: Please pay attention to the timing of drying and coating the tofu. If you pat dry the tofu too early, by the time you coat it with the flour mixture, the moisture inside would have come to the surface causing a wet and lumpy coating. Also, already coated tofu cubes need to be fried straightaway. Otherwise, the water will surface again.

Pan-fry or air-fry

Traditional salt and pepper tofu recipes require deep-frying which might not be your preferred cooking method. The good news is that pan-frying does the job just as well if you pay attention to a few tricks.

It’s best to use a non-stick pan/wok. Add oil then turn on the heat to medium-high. The quantity of oil depends on the size of your cookware but it should be generously covering the entire surface.

Only put in the tofu when the oil is hot enough. This is very important as it produces a crispy crust without having too much moisture extracted from the inside of the tofu. Use one piece of tofu to test if uncertain. If you see bubbles appearing immediately around the tofu, you’re ready to go.

Make sure you don’t overcrowd the cubes. Fry in two batches if necessary. Use chopsticks or tongs to flip them frequently to brown each side evenly. Once properly golden, transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper which soaks up any excess oil.

Air frying option

If you own an air fryer, you may air fry these flour-coated tofu cubes. The end result isn’t as good as pan-frying but it’s acceptable.

Preheat your air fryer at 200°C/390°F for 3 mins. After you coat the tofu with the flour mixture, spray oil over every side of the cubes.
When the air fryer is ready, put tofu in a single layer over the crisper tray inside the air fryer. Do not overlay (Fry in two batches if necessary).
It takes about 12 mins to fry. Check at 10 minutes as air fryers may vary in performance.

Combine the dish

frying minced garlic, shallots and chili pepper

Remove most of the oil leaving about ½ tablespoonful in the pan/wok. Stir in minced garlic, shallot (or onion) and chili pepper. Fry until they become fragrant.

adding salt and pepper seasoning fried tofu

Toss in the fried tofu and sprinkle finely chopped scallions and some salt and pepper seasoning (recipe for the homemade version explained in the next section).

As soon as the tofu is evenly coated with the aromatics and seasoning, transfer to a serving plate to serve immediately. Do not overcook during this step as it’ll reduce the crispiness of the tofu.

chopsticks picking up a piece of half eaten fried tofu

Homemade salt & pepper seasoning

In Chinese/Asian stores, you may find ready-to-use Chinese style salt and pepper seasoning (in bottles or sachets) which is usually labelled as “Salt and pepper powder(Jiao Yan/椒盐)”. If time permits, I highly recommend you make some yourself as I always do. Its fresh aroma can’t be beaten by any shop-bought versions and it’s such a versatile condiment to have.

Chinese salt and pepper seasoning in a plate

Here are the ingredients you need and how it’s made:

1 teaspoon whole Sichuan pepper, remove the black seeds if any
½ star anise, break up the pods and remove the brown seeds
½ teaspoon sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
4 teaspoon salt

Put all the ingredients into a pan. Toast over low heat to slowly release the aroma of the spices (stir around occasionally to ensure an even heating). Once the salt becomes a little yellow, transfer everything into a mortar (or into a spice grinder). Leave it to cool then grind into a fine powder.

Other ways to use it

The quantity suggested in my recipe produces much more salt and pepper seasoning than what you need for today’s dish. Keep the leftover in an airtight jar for later use. Here are other delicious ways to use it.

Make other classic salt and pepper flavoured dishes, such as Salt & Pepper Shrimp, Salt & Pepper Squid
Use it to season Chinese baking treats, such as Scallion Pancakes, Steamed Flower Rolls, Scallions Bread, etc.
Mix it in Chinese Dumpling fillings
Use it as a dry rub for meat, e.g. for Tea Smoked Chicken
Add it to stir-fried dishes to replace salt
Sprinkle it over fried eggs

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