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Ghillie Basan’s Vietnamese Tofu
photograph by Christina Riley
A delicious and quick snack from Ghillie Basan‘s new book Spirit & Spice. And it goes perfectly with a dram!
Vietnamese Tofu with Turmeric and Lemongrass
Serves 4 as a snack
Tofu tends to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it ingredients because it can be very bland, but over the years I have managed to convert many haters with this Vietnamese way of cooking it. The key is to pack the marinade with lots of flavour, which the tofu absorbs, and then to stir-fry it quickly.
In Vietnam, aromatic pepper or purple basil leaves are often added but you can toss in sweet basil, coriander or lime leaves. The peanuts added at the end add contrasting texture to the smooth tofu. I often use Turkish pul biber for heat as it is so fruity and versatile but you can use dried or fresh chillies if that’s what you have.
The umami flavour of soy and the sweetness of the jaggery complement whiskies with smoke and spice notes with a hint of citrus – Ardbeg 10 would be perfect.
Ingredients
Method
In a bowl, mix the lemongrass, ginger, soy sauce, mirin, chilli, garlic and turmeric with the jaggery or sugar until it has dissolved. Gently toss in the tofu, making sure it is well coated and leave it to marinate for two to six hours.
Heat the oil in a wok or heavy-based pan over a high heat. Lift the tofu out of the marinade and toss it in the wok. As the edges begin to brown, tip in any leftover marinade, and cook until the wok is almost dry. Toss in the peanuts and most of the basil leaves.
Tip the tofu onto a serving dish, scatter the remaining basil over the top and serve hot or at room temperature with an extra drizzle of soy sauce, if you like.
Buy Spirit & Spice by Ghillie Basan here.
Lentil Soup
Check out Fraser Reid’s classic Lentil Soup recipe, from his upcoming book Seasonal Soups:
‘This is the first soup bag we ever sold, and it’s still the most daunting. How can you tell people how to make lentil soup?! We find that grating the vegetables gives a lovely texture to the soup and saves hacking at the turnip with a sharp knife.
Feel free to add a bit of chopped bacon with the onion and celery, or why not add a teaspoon of dried chillies or cumin to spice it up a bit?’
Serves 4
Heat a pot on a medium-low heat and add the oil or butter. Fry the onion and celery for 5-10 minutes.
Add the carrots, turnip and lentils and give everything a stir.
Pour in 1.2 litres of boiling water, crumble in the stock cubes and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Season to taste. Delicious.
Buy Seasonal Soups by Fraser Reid here.
You’ve read the book, now buy the artwork
We have many favourite things about the Brick Lane Cookbook. But high on the list is Wantsome Studio‘s awesome original artwork so we are delighted to announce that you can now buy a super-limited edition print of his Brick Lane graffiti illustration.
The prints really are a thing of beauty so go go go and get them before they’re gone! Exclusively available through the Wantsome website, you’ll have to move fast to get your hands on one: http://wantsome.studio/Buy