Start by sealing and browning the tofu by frying in a splash of oil or in an air fryer, then set aside until later.
400 g extra-firm tofu
In a frying pan or wok, toast the Szechuan peppercorns over a medium heat. This should take a couple of minutes and you don’t need to use any oil (doing so would hinder the process!).
1.5 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
Tip the peppercorns into a pestle and mortar (or a spice grinder) and then crush the peppercorns until they turn into a coarse powder. Set aside for later.
1.5 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
Pour the sesame oil into a wok or frying pan, and place over a high heat. Fry the garlic, ginger and chilli flakes for a minute.
1 tablespoon sesame oil, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, 0.5 teaspoon chilli flakes
Add the crushed peppercorns, soy sauce, maple syrup and rice wine vinegar. To make it easier, you can place the liquids along with the crushed peppercorns into a jar and shake or stir it, then simply pour it all into the wok.
0.25 cup light soy sauce, 4 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Make sure the liquid is bubbling away in the pan for 5 minutes. It will start to thicken and become gloopy after 5 minutes.
Toss in the tofu and coat in the sauce, let it bubble away for another 3-5 minutes until the sauce is sticky and it clings to the tofu.
Serve straight out of the wok while it is piping hot, with brown rice, sesame seeds and maybe even a side of stir fry vegetables.