Five-cplored fried tofu (japan)

Yield: 8 Servings

Measure Ingredient
16 ounces Tofu
1 small Celery stalk
2 ounces Carrot
2 ounces Green pepper
3 \N Shiitake, fresh or dried
1 \N Egg, beaten
½ teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Sesame oil
4 tablespoons Flour
\N \N Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
\N \N Ketchup and Szechuan pepper-salt

By: Junko Lampert, The Tofu Cookbook (Japan) 1. Press tofu with a light weight.

2. Mince vegetables and shiitake. When dried shiitake are used, prepare them according to instruction.

3. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except the last two. Knead thoroughly. Add a little more flour if the mixture is too soft.

4. In a frying pan or wok heat the oil to 350F/180C. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into it and fry to a golden color.

5. Serve hot with ketchup and Szechuan pepper-salt.

SHIITAKE ... Black mushrooms from Asian, sometimes available in fresh form, but usually you will be using dried ones. Soak in water to rehydrate and clean. Cut off and discard the stems. Strain the water in which the shiitake were soaked (a coffee filter works well to catch the grit/sand) and use liquid in soup or sauce.

SZECHUAN PEPPER-SALT is called Hua-chiao-yen. Szechuan peppercorns are reddish brown. But the seeded ones if possible; if not, pick through and discard the black kernels. Only the husks are used in cooking. The pepper-salt dip is a popular flavoring for ddep-fried foods. Combine 1 part peppercorns to 3 parts salt in a dry frying pan. Heat over very low heat until the peppercorns smoke slightly. Cool and grind in a mortar or pepper grinder. You can also crush the peppercorns sufficiently with a rolling pin. Add to sauce. Junko Lampert, The Tofu Cookbook: Recipes for Traditional and Modern Cooking. Originally published 1983 by Shufunotomo Co. US edition by Chronicle 1986.

By "patH" phannema@...

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