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Cantonese · Chinese

Salt and pepper tofu

Vegetarian

椒鹽豆腐 · jiāo yán dòu fu

Cubes of tofu with a feather-light crisp coating, fried and tossed with garlic, chilli, spring onion and a spiced salt and white pepper mix.

Salt and pepper tofu is a Cantonese starter from China, ready in about 35 minutes and made with tofu, cornstarch and white pepper. It serves 3 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Plate of crispy fried salt and pepper tofu cubes
Photo: Neodymium+Nd / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-4.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
15 min
Total
35 min
Serves
3
Level
Easy
Calories
399

Ingredients

3 servings

Spiced salt

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pat the tofu (opens in a new tab) cubes dry. Mix the salt, white pepper (opens in a new tab), five-spice and sugar (opens in a new tab) and toast in a dry pan for a minute until fragrant.

    • 5 min

  2. Step 2

    Toss the tofu (opens in a new tab) in the cornstarch (opens in a new tab) until coated all over.

    • 3 min

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil to 180 °C and fry the tofu (opens in a new tab) in batches for 4–5 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on a rack.

    Food safety: Wet tofu makes oil spit; dry it well, don't overfill the pan and never leave hot oil unattended.

  4. Step 4

    Pour off all but 1 tbsp oil. Fry the garlic (opens in a new tab) and chilli for 30 seconds, add the tofu (opens in a new tab), spring onion (opens in a new tab) and about two-thirds of the spiced salt and toss quickly. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.

    • 2 min
    • high heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Guangdong, China · Commonly attributedThe spiced-salt (jiao yan) technique is Cantonese and is used for squid, prawns and pork chops too.Also popular in United Kingdom, United StatesMore food from China
Dish
Dinner · Snack · Appetizers & starters · Main courses
Cooking method
Deep-fried, Stir-fried
Taste
salty, peppery, garlicky, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Cook more with
Tofu · Cornstarch · White pepper · Garlic · Fresh red chilli · Spring onion
Techniques
Deep-frying · Stir-frying

Allergens

  • Contains: Soyfrom tofu

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

399 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 205 g · recipe makes 3

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 25%
  • Carbohydrate 22%
  • Fat 53%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy399 kcal195 kcal
Protein26.7 g13 g
Carbohydrate23.2 g11.3 g
Net carbohydrate19 g9.2 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0.3 g0.2 g
Fibre4.3 g2.1 g
Fat24.8 g12.1 g
Saturated fat2.8 g1.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium609 mg297 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
432 mg
Calcium
1047 mg
Iron
4.5 mg
Magnesium
93 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
—
Vitamin C
11 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
54 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): five-spice powder.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The same method works brilliantly with squid rings or peeled prawns.

Common mistakes

  • Coating the tofu too early: the cornstarch turns gummy. Coat just before frying.
  • Not pressing and drying the tofu, which makes the oil spit and the crust soft.

Serve with

  • Serve as a starter or with rice and stir-fried greens.

Storage

  • Best eaten immediately.

Reheating

  • Re-crisp in an air fryer.

Variations

  • Salt and pepper squid: Use squid rings and fry for only 1–2 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 4

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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