Many years ago most Sydney advertising agencies were situated in North Sydney and so was the Malaya restaurant, a popular lunchtime haunt for ad (or should that be mad?) men and women. One of our favourite dishes was Kung Pao Bean Curd.
The Malaya restaurant is now on King Street Wharf, Darling Harbour, and features some delicious dishes but sadly no longer Kung Pao Bean Curd. So this is my attempt at recreating it.
If you can’t get hold of some ingredients you could try the following substitutions. Instead of Sichuan peppercorns use regular black peppercorns, instead of Shaoxing wine use dry sherry and instead of Chinese black vinegar use balsamic, rice or red wine vinegar. If you can’t have peanuts, try other nuts such as cashews.
350-400g extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons cornflour
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons EVOO or oil of choice
6 whole fresh or dried red chillies (or more according to taste)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 thumb-size knob of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 spring onions, sliced with white & green parts separated
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
2 tablespoons light soy sauce or Tamari
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
50g toasted peanuts
Drain, pat dry, press tofu and cut into 2.5cm cubes. Combine cornflour and salt and lightly coat tofu with mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in frypan and cook tofu, in batches if necessary, turning until lightly browned. Set aside.
Add more oil to frypan if necessary and fry whole chillies until fragrant. Return tofu to frypan with chillies.
Set TM on 10 sec/speed 7 and drop garlic, ginger and chilli flakes if using onto spinning blades through hole in lid.
Add sesame oil, white section of spring onions and Sichuan peppercorns and sauté 3 min/120°C/REVERSE speed 1. Add soy sauce or Tamari, wine, vinegar and honey or maple syrup. Cook 5 min/100°C/REVERSE speed 1. Transfer to the frypan containing tofu and chillies and warm through. Stir in green section of spring onions and peanuts.
VARIATION
Thinly slice one red capsicum and one large zucchini. Add to TM bowl at the same time as the soy sauce, wine, vinegar and honey. Proceed with rest of recipe.
old chris new tricks 