Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water until rehydrated and soft enough to pulse in a food processor or chop into very small pieces. set aside. You can add a splash of soy sauce in the water at this point to give the mushrooms extra flavor.
Boil tofu briefly in salted water, use a colander if you’d like to keep it from breaking, set aside. This is so that the cubes have a better texture and retain their shape more during cooking.
Heat up chili oil in a hot wok, add minced garlic and ginger and fry until fragrant. You can also use regular oil if you want it less spicy. Add mushroom, doubanjiang, Sichuan Chili Crisp, fermented black soybeans and whole Sichuan pepper, and fry quickly to avoid burning.
Add stock and bring to boil, add scallion whites, slide tofu into wok and stir gently with a rubber spatula to prevent it from breaking. Let the stock reduce for about five minutes. Then, add cornstarch mixture and stir in gently until sauce thickens.
Transfer to serving bowl, sprinkle liberally with scallion greens and a generous pinch of ground roasted Sichuan pepper. Serve while hot with rice.
