Ingredients
- 500g firm tofu
- 1/2 cup corn flour
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp ground Sichuan pepper
- 2 tsp corn flour
- 2 tbsp water
- Peanut oil for frying
- A squeeze of Sriracha (optional)
- Rice to serve
- Sliced spring onion to serve (optional)
- Chinese broccoli (or any greens you like) - washed and chopped (please, oh dear Lord, wash it. If there is any dirt, you'll have grit when you're chewing and that will ruin Christmas)
- 1 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
- 1 tsp garlic
Method
- Remove moisture from tofu by pressing between two folded sheets of paper towel for a minimum of 30 secs.
- Cut tofu into small cubes and toss in a bowl with 1/2 cup corn flour until completely coated.
- Heat a frying pan (preference for cast iron, but whatever you have will work), add a splash of oil and allow to almost smoke before adding the tofu. The oil must be hot or the corn flour will just get soggy. No one wants that.
- Cook until each side is golden brown. It's a pain, but it's worth it. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. NOTE: don't over-crowd the pan when cooking. It doesn't make for happiness in the long run.
- If you're using a cast iron pan, you can turn of the heat and add the honey and soy sauce (this may be a no-no because of the salt content in the soy. But I do it and my pan and I aren't dead yet.) Whisk for about 20secs then add the ginger and garlic. Whisk again.
- Return to a low heat and add the rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, Sichuan pepper and as much or little Sriracha as you like.
- In a small bowl, whisk 2 tsp corn flour and 2 tbsp water until dissolved. Add to sauce mixture and whisk until it thickens. A nice kind of thick. Not chunky peanut butter thick.
- Add cooked tofu to the sauce and fold to cover. If you don't know how to fold ingredients in, ask Moira Rose.
- Serve on a bed of rice and garnish with sliced spring onion.
- Using the same pan (just scrape as much of the tofu sauce out as you can, but don't lose your lunch over it) return it to the heat with a small splash of oil.
- Throw the greens in unceremoniously, followed by the garlic. Wilt the lot then bung in your kecap manis. This process may take a minute, if that.
- Serve in a separate, smaller bowl (because: fancy) and eat everything. Enjoy!
Product used in recipe
- Obento - Rice Wine Vinegar
- ABC - Sweet Soy Sauce
