Taiwanese Celery & Pressed Tofu Salad

Post date: September 2,  2023

Taiwanese Celery & Pressed Tofu Salad

(Adapted from Mark Bittman, NYT)

Chili Oil:

1 cup grapeseed  oil

1 thumb ginger, cut into 4 slices

1 piece of cinnamon, 3 inches long

3 whole cloves

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspon cumin seeds

4 star anise

1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns

¼ cup red chili flakes

4-6 bunches Taiwanese celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Salt for blanching celery

24-36 oz. pressed tofu, julienned

black "lava" salt

Make chili oil:

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  When oil starts simmering,

add ginger, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin seeds, star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, & chili flakes.  Remove from heat and let sit at room temperature until completely cool, about 3 hours.  Strain into a lidded container & label “Celery Tofu Salad”.  Discard spices.

Prep celery & pressed tofu:

Slice celery on the diagonal into thin (1/8-inch) x 2-inch long pieces.  Julienne pressed tofu into 2 or 3-inch long pieces.  Store celery and pressed tofu in separate Ziploc bags.  Label bags “Celery Tofu Salad”.  Refrigerate.