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Tofu chilli men
Serves 2 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 180ml vegetable oil
- 250g firm tofu, cut into 2.5cm thick cubes
- 150g soba noodles
- 1 carrot, cut into 1cm cubes
- ½ courgette, cut into 2.5cm thick cubes
- 1 small red onion, sliced into 3mm slices
- 4 spring onions, cut into 2.5cm pieces
- 60g mangetout, sliced
- 1 medium tomato, cut into 8
For the chilli men sauce
- 2 large red onions
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 5cm piece fresh ginger
- 6 red peppers
- 25g bird’s eye chillies
- 30g lemongrass
- 150ml vegetable oil
- 70g sriracha sauce
- 150ml tomato ketchup
- 2½ tsp chilli oil
- 15g sugar
Method
First, make the chilli men sauce. Roughly chop the onions, garlic, ginger, peppers and chillies, then smash the lemongrass with the back of a knife and chop. Place everything in a food processor and blend to form a paste.
Put a thick-bottomed pan over a low heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the paste and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes. Stir in the sriracha, ketchup, chilli oil and 150ml water. Cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Oil will appear on the sides of the pan. Add the sugar and 2 large pinches salt, then season to taste with black pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Heat 150ml of the vegetable oil in a frying pan and, once hot, fry the tofu cubes until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to another plate lined with kitchen paper to drain any excess oil.
Cook the soba noodles according to the pack instructions. Divide between 2 serving bowls, keeping the noodles to one side of the bowl.
Put a wok or deep frying pan over a medium heat and add the remaining 30ml oil. Once hot, add the carrot, courgette, onion, spring onions and mangetout andtoss, then reduce the heat and add the tofu.
Pour in the chilli men sauce, then turn the heat down. Add the tomato, cook until the sauce is simmering, then remove the pan from the heat. Arrange the tofu, vegetables and sauce on the opposite side to the noodles in each bowl.
This recipe was taken from the October 2021 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.
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