Mark Bittman, Tofu Takes to a Simple, Spicy Salad. New York Times, Aug. 4, 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/dining/04mini.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=%22chinese%20celery%22&st=cse
My comment;
(a) I have no idea why the writer likes the dish so much.
(b) "take to" in the title: "1: to go to or into <take to the woods> 3: to adapt oneself to : respond to <takes to water like a duck>"
I favor definition 3.
(c) blanching (cooking)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanching_(cooking)
(d) steep (vi, vt): " to soak in a liquid at a temperature under the boiling point (as for softening, bleaching, or extracting an essence)"
Definitions in (b) and (d) are from www.m-w.com.
(e) Sichuan pepper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper
(花椒; Sichuan pepper (or Szechuan pepper) is the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum, widely grown and consumed in Asia as a spice. Despite the name, it is not related to black pepper or to chili peppers./ Sichuan pepper has a unique aroma and flavour that is not hot or pungent like black or white pepper, or chili peppers. Instead, it has slight lemony overtones and creates a tingly numbness in the mouth (caused by its 3% of hydroxy-alpha-sanshool) that sets the stage for hot spices.)
Please note that it is POD or husk that is separated from a single seed inside. Therefore, caption of a photo in this wiki page reads: Seeds and stems (left) and husks (right). The black pepper and chili pepper are FRUITS.
* black pepper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper
(Piper nigrum; cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning; The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, contains a single seed; the powdered pepper is derived from grinding peppercorns; native to India; section 1.2 white pepper)
* chili pepper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_pepper
(the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum; originated in the Americas)