Bear Paw Tofu [Xiong Zhang Dou Fu] (by Andrea Nguyen -- this here is modified from the one in her cookbook "Asian Tofu" to avoid copyright issues.)
This is from the Sichuan region of China and is meant to replicate the dish that used an actual paw from a bear. Eating bear paw is now banned in China.
Ingredients 1 block of store-bought firm tofu (or 1 block of homemade); a few tablspoons oil (high smoke point); 1 1/2 tbls chile bean sauce; 2 tsp minced fresh ginger; 2 cloves of garlic, chopped; 1/2 tsp sugar; 2 tbls rice wine or dry sherryl 1/2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 6 tbls water or veggie broth; light (regular) soy sauce; 2 green onions, white and green parts chopped.
Steps
1. cut tofu into chunky strips about 1.5 inches by 1/2 inch. Place tofu to drain on towel or papertowels for 10 minutes.
2. Heat oil on high heat in a large pan, panfry tofu until golden and lightly crisp.
3. Lower heat and push tofu to the edge of the pan, add in bean sauce, ginger and garlic to the center of the pan. Sprinkle on sugar, then stir until fragrant.
4. Flip the tofu in the seasonings in the center of the pan to coat. Add in the rice wine, cook about 1 minutes until smell of alcohol leaves.
5. Restir cornstarch mixtureand add to the pan. Cook 1-2 minutes, tofu should be coated in the sauce.
6. Add about 1/2 tsp soy sauce if you want more "depth" of flavor. Add more pinches of sugar if you need more balance. It should be "savory-salty-slightly-sweet finish."
7. Sprinkle on the green onion, turn for a few seconds until it has softened.
8. Serve.
I like to eat this on a bed of rice.
