Instead of deep-frying, a common cooking technique to make Chinese salt and pepper tofu, we coat the pieces of tofu with seasoned cornstarch, then pan-fry them in batches to brown and crisp the exteriors. In the empty skillet, a punchy mix of garlic, fresh chili and scallions is quickly cooked, and the tofu is tossed back in. The finished dish is sauceless but incredibly flavorful from the savory bits that cling to the tofu’s crisped surfaces.