Fragrant Tomato Salad with Fried Croutons

Ingredients

• 3 cups vegetable oil
• 6 star anise
• 1 4 to 6 inch cinnamon stick
• 3 Tbsp. black peppercorns or Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 small ginger piece, halved
• 2 Tsp. whole cloves
• 6 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 large shallots, halved
• 1 ¼ cups Sichuan chili flakes
• 2 Tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ cup cane sugar
• ½ Tsp. MSG
• 2 cups ciabatta or sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 to 6 medium tomatoes, quartered
• 1 large English cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds
• 1 1 large avocado, cubed
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup chopped chives