September 26, 2009: Buffalo tofu

At last, we've reached the final entry from our 800th post giveaway! (Let the warmer weather begin!) Stru recommended the Buffalo Tofu recipe at Hungry in Hogtown, saying: "I made it as a quick dinner before heading out to a party, but made/ate way too much of it, and felt too full to eat the desserts at the party... and for me, that's really saying something!!" Yes, it really is saying something - I've been lucky enough to taste evidence of Stru's expertise in desserts.

Stru also noted that this is more of a guide than a recipe, and I agree that it's best used in that way. The tofu cubes are supposed to be deep-fried, and I almost deep-fried them using a generous pool of oil in a wok and lots of stirring, but I actually think they'd be just as good shallow- or almost dry-fried. The key is getting a crispy golden skin going. The Buffalo wing sauce, sourced from the Alton Brown, is a mixture of butter, garlic, hot sauce and salt. American-style hot sauces aren't so common here, so I took another tip from Stru and used our Chinese-style barbecue sauce as a base, adding extra garlic and butter. I really couldn't detect the butter in the dish and I doubt I'll bother with it again. The final touch is some crumbled blue cheese in the original recipe, which we also used, though Stru suggested mayo and sour cream as potential alternatives. I actually really enjoyed the pungent contrast of the blue, though I think the sour cream could be pretty neat too.

With all that frying and saucing going on, it was good to have a bed of mixed couscous and quinoa to soak up the flavour. We also served some sauteed spinach on the side, a slightly more wintery (and fridge-clearing) version of the "BIG fresh salad" that Stru wanted.

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See the original recipe at Hungry in Hogtown.

September 20, 2009: Cabbage rolls

Theresa's entry in our winter recipes/800 posts competition was stuffed cabbage rolls, originally from La Dolce Vegan. The idea is pretty straightforward - steam a cabbage, use the middle to make a delicious filling, and then wrap the filling in some of the outer leaves. Unfortunately, we didn't quite get this right. The little parcels turned out a bit chewy and difficult to eat, and the cabbage leaves ended up overpowering the filling flavours. Sorry Theresa - I'm sure the blame is ours rather than the recipe's (the use of an ill-fitting saucepan/colander combo as our steamer probably didn't help). The filling itself, with the bulgur, mushrooms and cabbage mush was appropriately hearty and Cindy enjoyed the leftovers as a toasted sandwich filling. We served the rolls with roasted sweet potato and radish as suggested by Theresa - any roasted vegies would work well but the radishes were a particularly excellent idea and a new one for us!



Cabbage rolls

2 cups tomato sauce
1 large half-cabbage
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 cup burghul
1.5 cups water
1 porcini stock cube
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon hot paprika
a few shakes of cayenne
olive oil

Steam the half-cabbage whole (if you see what I mean), and then peel off the large outer leaves - as many as you'll want rolls. Slice up the cabbage innards reasonably finely.

Fry the onion, garlic and cabbage in the oil, until things start to soften nicely.

Add in the mushrooms and burghul and fry some more.

Pour in the water, crumble the stock cube through and add in the spices. Simmer for a while, stirring every so often.

Stir through the walnuts and kill the heat. This is your filling!

Spoon the filling into the steamed cabbage leaves, and wrap it up into a neat little parcel.

Place the rolls in a baking tray, pour the tomato sauce over the top and then bake at 180 degrees for about half an hour.

September 5, 2009: Corn chowder

After a delay brought on by our northern jaunt and then a work trip each, we're finally getting back to cooking all of the entries in our 800th post giveaway. And we'd better hurry, if Saturday's 29 degrees is any sign of what's to come.

Ashley offered up a couple of soups, and we decided to make the corn chowder, just to try something a bit different. It was relatively simple, although the creamed corn looks so unappetising as to almost put me off the whole thing. I got through it though, and even managed to perform passably with my stick blender (last time I sprayed half the kitchen with broccoli soup), resulting in a creamy, corny soup, that had enough spicy flavours to be enjoyable for a few meals in a row. The garam masala in particular added a pleasant depth to the soup's flavours. We veganised the recipe, using soy milk for creaminess and sprinkling with our vegan parmesan to finish things off.

Corn chowder a la Ashley
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed
- 1 small can creamed corn
- 1.5 cups fresh/frozen corn
- 1-2 cups vegie stock
- salt, pepper, paprika and garam masala to taste
- 1/2 cup soy milk

Cook the onions and cubed potatoes in a big pot until they start to soften. Add in the creamed corn and the fresh corn, stir things through and then add the stock and spices. Simmer for 10 minutes or so and blend everything up with a stick blender (or in a food processor), add the milk and serve (preferably with some Dench bread on the side).

August 9, 2009: Vegetarian cassoulet

This is not the kind of recipe I'd instantly resolve to try on sight. (Indeed, as much as I enjoyed Johanna's post about this cassoulet when she first published it, I didn't bookmark it at all.) Yet Johanna submitted it to our giveaway as one of her favourite winter warmers, and I must admit that she has a pretty good track record with recommendations. This proved to be no exception.

I tire quickly of the veges-in-tomato-sauce style of vegetarian cooking, but this has a little more going for it. There's fennel, left to brown amongst the onions and garlic, and there's a comforting mix of breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley allowed to crisp on top before it's stirred through the casserole. Johanna made note of two other properties that are popular in this household: the flavours develop over several days and there's enough for several meals. (Even the version below, which is probably two-thirds the original quantity.) Just what we want for lunchbox leftovers!

Vegetarian cassoulet
(based on a recipe at Green Gourmet Giraffe)

1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion
1 small fennel bulb
3 cloves garlic
1 large carrot
1 stalk celery
2 Lebanese eggplants (they're roughly the shape and size of a zucchini)
200g mushrooms
2 tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs (I used parsley, oregano and sage)
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup stock
400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed
75g red lentils
3 tablespoons parsley
100g parmesan
100g bread crumbs

Finely chop the onions and fennel and mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a large pot - if you have an oven-proof one, use that. Add the onions, fennel and garlic and cook them over low heat, stirring often, until browned (about 20-30 minutes).

While that's cooking, continue chopping, getting the carrot, celery, eggplant, mushrooms and tomato into nice bite-sized chunks. When the onions are ready, add all those veges to the pot, along with the tomato paste, mixed herbs, bay leaf, vinegar and stock. Bring it all to the boil, then cover and simmer it for 10-20 minutes. Drain and rinse your beans, adding them and the lentils to the pot to simmer for a further 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Chop the parsley and grate the parmesan.

Once all that simmering's done, it's time to get baking. If your pot's not oven-proof, transfer the mixture to a casserole dish that is. Scatter two-thirds of the parsley, parmesan and breadcrumbs over the cassoulet, then bake it for about 20 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break the crust and stir it into the cassoulet; sprinkle over the remaining parsley, parmesan and breadcrumbs and bake for a further 20 minutes.

August 1, 2009: Roasted vegetables with tomato charmoula and quinoa

I got myself back into a cooking groove on the weekend by picking out a recipe submitted to our winter giveaway. Dmargster originally found this one at FatFree Vegan Kitchen and promised "You will enjoy this or your money back!"

While there's quite a few different elements vying for your palate's attention, he's right that this is simple to prepare: the chopped vegetables go into the oven with a scant but spicy dressing based on crushed tomatoes, while the saffron, garlic and currants just join the quinoa for its usual stove simmer. Better yet, it's the kind of thing you can prepare in bulk and pack up for several lunches at work.

The lightness of the tomato chermoula coating that initially had me worried about impending blandness, but actually there's plenty of flavour to be had. Michael tends to prefer things saucy (make of that what you will), so if I make this again, I might try padding out the chermoula with some tomato paste as a compromise. I didn't really like the eggplant in this guise but the cauliflower, zucchini and chickpeas were lovely.


Roasted vegetables with tomato charmoula and quinoa
(based on a recipe at FatFree Vegan Kitchen, recommended by Dmargster)

2 roma tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon 'chicken' stock powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small eggplant, chopped into chunks
1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
2 zucchinis, chopped into chunks
1 red capsicum, chopped into chunks
2 x 400g cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup quinoa
2 cups 'chicken' stock
few threads saffron, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons currants

Halve the tomatoes and place them cut-side-down on a tray. Grill them until the skins blacken and pull away from the flesh. Remove the skins and mash the tomatoes in a small bowl with a fork. Stir in the stock powder, cumin, paprika, pepper, ginger, marjoram, cayenne and salt.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Put the eggplant, cauliflower, zucchini and capsicum into a large baking tray and stir through the spiced tomato mush. Roast the vegetables for about 30 minutes, add the chickpeas, and roast for a further 15 minutes.

During that last 15 minutes, stir together the quinoa, stock, saffron, garlic and currants in a saucepan and bring them to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan and cook the quinoa gently until all the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).

Fluff up the quinoa, spoon it onto serving plates and top it with the roasted vegetables.

July 12, 2009: Sweet potato and cabbage soup

Before fleeing Melbourne's winter for a jaunt in the sun, we had time to knock off one more of our winter recipes. This time it was Kristy's recommendation - sweet potato and cabbage soup, courtesy of Gluten Free Goddess.

Despite the multitude of ingredients, it's a pretty straightforward recipe, with everything happening in one big pot. And it's tasty - a hint of spice from the peppers and cumin, the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and the crunchy chunks of cabbage and onion for texture. Ours ended up more stew than soup, and I really enjoyed the leftovers served up on some rice.


Sweet potato and cabbage soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 medium red onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 head purple cabbage, shredded
1 large yellow capsicum, diced
2 chipotle peppers, with a half a teaspoon of their adobo sauce
400g can white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegie stock
1/2 cup peanut butter
400mL can coconut milk
2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 fresh red chilli, finely diced
2-3 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 lime, juiced
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the cumin powder to make a spicy paste. Throw in the onion, garlic, sweet potato, cabbage, capsicum and chipotles and stir, cooking until everything's softened (about 10 minutes).

Add in the beans, stock, peanut butter, coconut milk, Worcestershire sauce, chilli and coriander and stir together.

Cover and simmer the soup for about half an hour, until everything is tender. Add in the lime juice and seasonings right before serving.

Garnish with leftover coriander if there is any.

July 9, 2009: Mapo tofu: ingredient update

Since making our first Mapo Tofu last week, a couple of knowledgeable and helpful readers have helped us on our way to finding the right ingredients to perfect our dish. Michael has hunted a few of them down in a bid to make the best darn Mapo Tofu this blog has ever seen.

It turns out the Lee Kum Kee brand of Chili Bean Sauce (Toban Djan) can play the role of fermented broad beans. Its first four ingredients are salted chili peppers, water, fermented soy bean paste and fermented broad bean paste. It should be easily found in most Asian grocers and it provides some of the heat that I wussed out on the first time around!

This isn't necessarily the ideal way to add fermented broad beans though. In an email to us, eatnik explained that fermented soy beans are a cheap substitute for their broader counterpart. She went on to advise:

"The English name should be 'fermented broad bean sauce in chilli oil' although apparently, according to below at least, they also use the term horsebeans ... It also goes by the names dou ban jian, toban djan, toban jhan, chilli bean sauce and chillie bean paste."

Next up: black beans. We initially used a black bean sauce, which is more water and sugar than actual back beans at all. Will tipped us off that their Cantonese name is Dao Si and linked to the Chinese characters for further reference. Eatnik said, "Black fermented beans can be bought either wet (ie pickled) or dry (just salted). The wet ones come in a jar/vac pack and are shit (although will do in an emergency)."

More than a week since his first Mapo Tofu hit, Michael considered this an emergency and bought the vac pack. The dry ones come in a cardboard tube (the yellow container pictured on the Douchi wikipedia page) and they sound like they're worth chasing down. Eatnik promises the dry beans "are the most awesome ingredient and taste kinda like funky vegemite, which is lucky cause they look remarkably like large rodent shit." Yep, we've already been getting that vibe from the wet ones!

Finally, there's the Szechuan peppercorns. Like us, Eatnik first bought some musty old ones from an Asian grocer. Then she had an epiphany: "I went to HuTong and tried their offal slices with sichuan peppercorns, and a mouthful of popping, zingy, lemongrassy numb spots told me that I should try elsewhere for my supply." While I'd rather bypass the offal, this lively spice was something we had to try! Though they're not quite up to her first mind- and mouth-blowing experience at HuTong, Eatnik recommended Peter Watson's Szechwan Peppercorns for a milder hit. Michael dropped by his Fitzroy store, got a small taste of that mouth-numbing goodness, and left with a 20g tin for many tofu nights to come.

Our second Mapo Tofu was certainly different to, but as least as good as, our first try. We're looking forward to refining our skills and ingredients further.

July 7, 2009: Spaghetti and bean mush

Time for the next installment in our series of warming winter recipes, submitted in honour of our recent giveaway. This recipe for spaghetti and beanballs was recommended by Penny, who's already posted the recipe on her own blog. As you can see, our beans didn't turn out too ball-y. Strangely, the mixture was far too wet and sloppy - this in spite of adding a few extra breadcrumbs and none of the kidney bean liquid at all! It wouldn't hold its shape when I fried the first half of the mixture, nor when I baked the rest, but it cooked happily enough as a bolognese sauce when stirred up with Heidi's hasty, tasty tomato sauce. It was in this form that we were finally able to eat and enjoy this recipe. And we did ultimately enjoy this a lot. The addition of plum sauce/relish/chutney (mango chutney in our case) is a twist I'd never think of and it adds a neat sweet dimension. You'll get something unique each time you try a different condiment.

Oh, and if you're concerned about the white mouldy appearance of the meal above, don't be - that's just a sprinkling of vegan parmesan!

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To try Penny's bean balls, you can see the recipe at Vegerati.
You can check out our rendition of Heidi's hasty, tasty tomato sauce here.

July 4, 2009: Cheesy arancini with lemon mayonnaise

The next wintery recipe submitted to our giveaway turned up as an email rather than a comment - Megan sent us arancini with lemon mayonnaise. Stuffed with butter and two kinds of cheese, deep-fried and topped with that mayo, they provide immense short-term pleasure while probably taking a year or two off your life. In a bid to counteract the richness, I served them up with sauteed rainbow chard (so pretty! and not actually bitter!) and whole portobello mushrooms.

When I read that I'd be stuffing these risotto balls with cheese, crumbing and deep-frying them, I was prepared for trouble. This is exactly the kind of food I prefer to order from a cafe than cook for myself. I was astounded at how easily it all came together - the rice balls actually held their shape, and though the crumbing stages were messy, my arancini continued to hold their own in the bubbling oil. Nevertheless, they do take some effort - you'll need time and patience to pull these off unscathed.

It was actually the mayonnaise making, which I've done before, where I came unstuck. It just would. Not. EMULSIFY. I've previously learned that this can be a problem in humid conditions (see: the Potato Salad Incident of the Cairns Christmas in '06) but it seems unlikely to have been my problem here in dreary dry Melbourne. After some whinging and foot-stomping and declining Michael's suggestion that we "just use it as it is", I was about to dispose of my 'mayonnaise' when Michael suggested adding some cornflour. It seemed crazy and unlikely but why not try if it's getting tossed out anyway? A pinch of cornflour into the food processor did actually thicken up this mess of a mayonnaise, and we went ahead and poured it over the arancini. With a very acidic edge, it had just the flavour (if not texture) to complement that gooey, cheesy centre.

Pssst - if you're vegan and have made it this far through the post, have we got a reward for you! Coming very soon are recipes from a recent vegan dinner party, in three delicious installments.


Arancini with lemon mayonnaise

(halved and adapted slightly from a recipe sent by Megan, though it also appears on cuisine.com.au)

mayonnaise:
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and white pepper
dash of cayenne
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons boiling water

arancini:
400mL vegetable stock
150g arborio rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
150g parmesan
50g mozzarella
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
30g butter
1/4 cup plain flour
1 egg white
100g breadcrumbs
oil for deep-frying

In a food processor, thoroughly blend together the egg yolk, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne. With the blade still going, slowly pour in the oil, cross your fingers, and hopefully the mayonnaise will thicken. Add a pinch of cornflour if you are absolutely desperate. Blend in the lemon juice and boiling water, then refrigerate the mayonnaise.

Bring the stock to the boil in a medium saucepan, then add the rice, salt and pepper. Bring it all back up to the boil, then simmer the lot for 15 minutes. Set it aside to cool.

Grate half of the parmesan, then stir it and the parsley through the cooled rice.

Slice the remaining parmesan, mozzarella and butter into 8 cubes each. Lightly squish one parmesan, one mozzarella and one butter cube together. Spoon out roughly an eighth of the rice mixture and form it into a ball around the cheese glob. Put it on a plate and and repeat the process to make 7 more arancini.

Set the flour, egg white and breadcrumbs out in shallow bowls. Dredge the balls in turn through the flour, then the egg white, then the breadcrumbs.

Heat the vegetable oil at least an inch deep in a saucepan. Deep-fry the arancini in small batches until golden, shifting them around with tongs for even cooking. Rest them on absorbent paper until they're all ready.

Serve the arancini with the lemon mayonnaise poured over or on the side as a dipping sauce.

July 2, 2009: Red wine lentils on polenta

Once we'd tried the giveaway-winning soup I decided to start trialling entries from the top with Elizabeth Bennet's red wine lentils. Not only are they winter-appropriate, but she explained that they're especially fitting for the shift from June to July: "Italians eat lentils and sausages (or cotechino) on New Year's Eve to bring luck and money in the coming year. Since it's nearing the end of the Financial Year, why not try it to ensure riches come tax refund time?"

Liz didn't leave a precisely measured recipe so I'm not sure how close this rendition is to hers. I couldn't track down fresh sage and crushed up some dry leaves instead, and this seemed to work out fine. Though I think Liz meant for us to plonk several sausages on top of the lentils, we were down to our last two home-made sausages in the freezer so I chopped them up and stirred them into the saucy lentils. And as for the sauce itself, it was lovely though I'd be tempted to reduce the volume of stock next time. Regardless, it soaks gorgeously into the cheesy polenta.

Red wine lentils on polenta
(based on directions from Elizabeth Bennet)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 carrot
2-3 sticks of celery
2 x 400g cans lentils, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups 'beef' stock (I'll use less next time)
1 teaspoon dried sage leaves, crushed
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
2 large vege sausages
1L water
1 cup polenta
3/4 cup parmesan, grated

Bring the oil to medium heat in a frypan, then saute the onion and garlic in it for 2 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and saute for a further 5 minutes. Stir through the lentils, wine, stock and herbs and simmer the lot until the lentils are tender and the sauce has reduced a little.

Pop the sausages under the grill, turning them once or twice, until they're crisp on the outside but still tender in the middle. Slice them into generous chunks and add them to the simmering lentils.

Bring the litre of water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in the polenta, ensuring there are no lumps. Reduce the heat and continue whisking the polenta for 10 minutes. Remove the polenta from the heat, stir through the parmesan and allow the polenta to stand for 5 minutes.

Season the lentils and polenta to taste. Scoop polenta mounds onto plates and top them with the red wine lentils, garnishing with a few extra parsley leaves.

July 1, 2009: Pumpkin, carrot and cumin soup

After skipping ahead to Quinn's magnificent Mapo Tofu before the competition even closed, Cindy insisted we start doing things properly - beginning with our competition winner, Jo, and her roasted cumin pumpkin soup. I expected every entry of our competition to be soup of some form, and I was particularly looking forward to soups that would help me master my developing stick-blender technique. Aside from the stick-blending, this was all pretty simple - some roasting, a bit of simmering and you're done. The end product was pretty impressive - rich and warming, with the cumin giving the soup a bit of an edge beyond just the sweet pumpkin and carrot.

We fiddled around with the recipe a tiny bit, as Jo suggested, adding carrot to the base of pumpkin but otherwise leaving things as she suggested.


Roasted cumin and pumpkin soup

1.5kg pumpkin, peeled and sliced
3 carrots, sliced longways
2 small onions, diced
A couple of tablespoons of ground cumin
2-3 cups of vegie stock
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Lay the pumpkin and carrot out on a tray, drizzle with the half of the olive oil and sprinkle with the cumin.

Roast the pumpkin and carrot for about 20 minutes, turn everything and give it another twenty minutes.

When the pumpkin has about 10 minutes left, heat the rest of the oil in a big pot and saute the onion until it's time to take the vegies out - they should be nice and soft.

Add the vegie stock and then smush in the roast vegies and their pan juices. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly and then blend everything together with your stick blender into a smooth paste.

Simmer for another few minutes, adding water if you need to alter your soup's consistency. Serve with some delicious bread and enjoy the winter warmth.

June 28, 2009: Mapo tofu and Chinese greens

Jo's pumpkin and cumin soup isn't the first recipe we tried from the warming entries in our recent giveaway. On the very day that we read QuinnT's vegetarian version of Mapo Tofu, we resolved to cook it for dinner. QuinnT substitutes the traditional pork or beef mince with TVP, and promises that "It's spicy enough to tickle your nose and warm you up on a chill(i) winter's day."

Let me tell you straight up that this recipe is the business. I must admit to wimping out on the chilli dosage, and I regret that, but it's still a cracker of a dish. We had more trouble than I expected in tracking down Chinese fermented broad beans and Chinese fermented black beans - in the end we picked out jars of black bean sauce and spicy soya bean paste from Laguna. (Any tips on where to buy the original ingredients? Please let us know!) Salty, warming and with a comforting texture, this dish reheated brilliantly the next day as QuinnT also advised.

Mapo Tofu's a little short on the vegetable matter so in addition to steaming some rice, we cooked up some Chinese-style greens in vegetarian oyster sauce on the side. The guidelines and recipe at Rasa Malaysia are very helpful - while I didn't get the texture of the blanched vegetables quite right, the oyster and garlic sauces were dreamy. Unfortunately, reheated lunchtime greens aren't nearly as good as freshly blanched ones but they couldn't mar an otherwise successful new meal.

Mapo Tofu
(adapted from a recipe shared by QuinnT)

1/2 cup TVP, not yet rehydrated
1 'beef' stock cube
500g tofu
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons chilli paste, to taste
1 teaspoon ground Szechuan peppercorns
1 1/2 tablespoons black bean sauce (try to get Chinese fermented black beans instead if you can)
1 1/2 tablespoons spicy soya bean paste (try to get Dou ban jiang/Chinese fermented broad beans instead if you can)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
water or vegetable stock, as needed
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 scallions, chopped

Put the TVP in a small bowl and crumble over the 'beef' stock cube. Pour over 1/2 cup of boiling water and set the TVP aside to rehydrate.

Chop the tofu into cubes and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle over the salt, then cover the tofu with boiling water and let it stand.

Heat the oil in a wok, then add the garlic, chilli paste and Szechuan pepper. Stir-fry them until fragrant, then add the bean pastes, sugar and soy sauce. Stir through the TVP.

Gently drain the diced tofu. Once the sauce is bubbling, add them to the mix and make sure they're well coated in sauce. Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes on low heat, adding a little extra water or stock if it looks too dry. (This is a good time to prep the Chinese greens!)

In a small cup, mix the cornflour with just enough water to form a paste. Stir the paste through the tofu and sauce. After allowing just a minute or two for thickening, transfer your Mapo Tofu to a serving dish and sprinkle over the scallions.

Chinese greens in 'oyster' sauce
(adapted from a recipe and tips from Rasa Malaysia)

4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
large bunch of assorted Chinese greens (I think we used bok choy and choy sum)
2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sugar
several dashes of white pepper

In your smallest saucepan, heat up 2 teaspoons of oil. Stir fry the minced garlic until it just begins to turn light brown, then transfer the garlic oil to a bowl and set it aside. The garlic will brown up further as it sits in the hot oil.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Blanche the greens in the water for 20-30 seconds, in batches if you need to, draining them as soon as they're slightly wilted.

Back in the smallest saucepan, stir together the remaining oil, oyster sauce, water, sugar and white pepper until they're a smooth sauce.

Arrange the blanched greens on a plate, pour over the oyster sauce and then the garlic oil. Serve and eat immediately!