Don’t Avoid This Autumnal Asian Treat

Among the various foods many people avoid — boxed coffee cake, tripe, licorice (stale, odd, nasty, in that order) — is a staple of Asian cooking. Tofu, known sometimes as bean curd, is white and bland as chalk, only smoother. Once a month, the Chinese government sent wagons of tofu into Beijing compounds, and when I was living there, my neighbors lined up for free food.

So I lined up too. I worked for the Chinese government (editing China Daily, an English-language newspaper). Why shouldn’t I get in line? My neighbors eyed me, but no one said a word, and I picked up my block of tofu and headed home.

It was autumn, and the street markets were full of amazing squashes and gourds and melons with colored and sculpted skins running from palest green to darkest purple, some ribbed, mottled, a little hairy or smooth. I checked my copy of “200 Recipes for the Doufu Devotee,” published by Women of China for Westerners like me, and  forged ahead. 

Tofu With Hubbard Squash

Cube Hubbard squash (or whatever autumn vegetables you use) and stir fry in a little peanut oil with chopped ginger and garlic.

Now the secret: Season the tofu like mad. First cut a block of very firm tofu into half-inch cubes. Press them between sheets of paper towel to dry them out and then powder them with cornstarch. 

Season lightly with soy sauce or fish sauce and ground Sichuan peppercorns that have been fried in a dry heavy pan until they smoke a bit and smell wonderful.  

These peppercorns (they are not peppercorns at all, by the way, but a citrus fruit) are available online and in Asian markets in Hartford, and there’s no  substitute for them.   

When the squash is tender, mix together the lightly browned and well-seasoned  tofu, garnish with fresh cilantro  and serve with white rice. And a glass of beer. 

Fabulous!