Читать книгу BOSH! - Henry Firth - Страница 35

Sweet and sour needs no introduction! This dish is an indulgent worldwide classic made with smooth, soft tofu. It’s made even more delicious by the addition of pineapple, and the way the crispy fried tofu contrasts with the sweet syrupy sauce. Mix this with any other Asian dish and boiled rice and you have a winner on your hands.

SERVES 2–4.

 1 x 280g block of firm tofu.

 6cm piece fresh ginger.

 1 red onion.

 1 garlic clove.

 1 green pepper.

 200ml pineapple juice.

 60ml rice vinegar.

 60ml tomato ketchup.

 70g light brown sugar.

 1 tsp garlic powder.

 1 tsp onion powder, optional.

 4 tbsp cornflour.

 2 tbsp vegetable oil.

 2 tbsp sesame oil.

 ½ tsp chilli flakes.

 ½ tsp salt.

 100g tinned pineapple chunks.

 Small saucepan on a low-medium heat. Tofu press or 2 clean tea towels and a weight such as a heavy book. 2 x large frying pans on a medium-high heat. Fine grater.

Press the tofu using a tofu press, or place it between two clean tea towels, lay it on a plate and put a weight on top. Leave for at least half an hour to drain any liquid and firm up before you start cooking.

Peel the ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon and then grate it. Peel and finely slice the red onion and the garlic. Cut the pepper in half and cut out the stem and seeds. Chop the pepper into 2cm chunks.

Put the pineapple juice, rice vinegar, ketchup and sugar in the small saucepan and stir to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to medium-high and let it bubble away for about 7 minutes until you have a syrupy sauce. Take the saucepan off the heat and set aside.

Put the garlic powder and the onion powder, if using, into a large bowl with the cornflour and mix together. Carefully cut the drained tofu into 1cm chunks and add them to the bowl. Toss them gently in the cornflour mix until they’re well covered.

Heat the vegetable oil in one of the large frying pans. Add the tofu chunks and fry until they have started to brown and formed a crispy coating, about 7–10 minutes (be delicate as you stir the cubes, you want to keep them intact). Take the pan off the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in the second frying pan. Add the onion slices and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper, chilli flakes, salt, garlic and ginger and continue to cook for another 3–5 minutes, stirring all the time. Drain the pineapple and add to the pan, continuing to stir until the pineapple is warm. Tip the tofu into the pan and heat. Pour over the sweet and sour sauce and fold it around the vegetables so that everything is well covered and warmed through, another 1–2 minutes.