Black Pepper Tofu

Ingredients

• 11 tbsp butter 
• 3 tbsp ginger fresh chopped
• 12  garlic cloves crushed
• 16 small green onions cut into 1 1/4-inch segents thin
• 3 tbsp soya sauce light
• 5 tbsp coarsely peppercorns black crushed (use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder)
• 8  chiles fresh red thinly sliced (fairly mild ones)
• 12 small shallots thinly sliced (12 ounces in total)
• 4 tsp soya sauce dark
• 2 tbsp sugar 
• 3 tbsp soya sauce sweet (kecap manis)
• 1.8 lbs spicy tofu firm
• 4 servings cornstarch to dust the tofu 
• 4 servings vegetable oil for frying

Equipment

• frying pan
• paper towels
• wok

Directions

1. Start with the tofu.
2. Pour enough oil into a large frying pan or wok to come 1/4 inch up the sides and heat.
3. Cut the tofu into large cubes, about 1 x 1 inch. 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.
4. Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan, then put the butter inside and melt it.
5. Add the shallots, chiles, garlic and ginger. Sauté on low to medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, 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.
6. Add the tofu to warm it up in the sauce for about a minute. Finally, stir in the green onions.
7. Serve hot, with steamed rice.
8. Reprinted with permission from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, (C) 2011 Chronicle Books