Sichuan Style Tofu with Mushrooms

Directions

Place tofu on several paper towels and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt.

Turn tofu over, sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, place more paper towels on top and weight the tofu down with a plate.

Set aside for 5 minutes. Cut the tofu into roughly 1-inch cubes.

Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or large skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact.

Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil; add garlic and scallions and stir-fry until fragrant, 10 seconds.

Add mushrooms and stir-fry until just beginning to soften, 1 minute.

Transfer to a plate.

Swirl the remaining 1 tablespoon oil into the pan, reduce the heat to medium, add the tofu and pan-fry, turning midway through cooking, until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes.

Swirl in Sichuan Sauce and the mushroom mixture; increase the heat to high and stir-fry until the tofu is just heated through and the sauce clings to it, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Discard the garlic.

Serve immediately.

For the Sichuan Sauce:

Whisk broth, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, oil, cornstarch and red pepper in a small bowl.