Cumin tofu stir-fry

At Xi’an Famous Foods, in New York, the unique cuisine of Xi’an in central China tastes unmistakably like the confluence of China and the Middle East. Dishes are heavily spiced with cumin, chilli and sichuan peppercorns, resulting in bold, not-for-thefaint-of-heart flavours.

20 MINUTES + MARINATING | SERVES 4 EASY |

vegetable or other neutral oil for frying

onion 1, finely sliced

long red chilli ½-1 (seeds kept in or removed, depending how hot you like it), sliced diagonally

ginger 21/2cm piece, finely chopped

garlic 1 clove, finely chopped

cauliflower 300g, cut into florets

coriander a large handful of leaves

toasted sesame seeds 1 tbsp MARINATED TOFU tamari or soy sauce 1 tbsp

shaoxing wine 1 tbsp

extra-firm tofu 400g, cut into 2cm cubes potato flour or cornflour 3 tbsp

SPICE MIX

ground cumin 2 tbsp

gochugaru (Korean red chilli flakes), red chilli flakes or sichuan chilli flakes 2 tsp

caster sugar ½ tsp

For the marinated tofu, combine the tamari, shaoxing and 1/2 tsp of fine sea salt in a bowl. Add the tofu, toss to coat, then leave to marinate at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the spice mix, combine all the ingredients plus 1/2 tsp of sea salt in a small bowl and set aside. Drain the tofu. Put the potato flour or cornflour in a deep bowl, add the marinated tofu cubes and toss gently to coat.

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. When hot, drizzle with oil and add the tofu cubes, arranging them in one layer. Reduce the heat to medium and allow the tofu to cook, undisturbed, for 1-2 minutes or until the bottoms are golden. Flip the cubes over and cook until golden on all sides. Transfer the tofu to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain. Wipe out the pan and add a little more oil, then toss in the onion, chilli, ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the cauliflower, season with sea salt and stir-fry for 4-6 minutes or until the cauliflower is just tender. Add the tofu, along with the spice mix, and stir to combine. Take the pan off the heat.

Taste and season with a touch of sea salt if needed. Top with the coriander and sesame seeds, then toss everything together and serve with rice.

PER SERVING 300 kcals | fat 15.6G | saturates 2G | carbs 18.8G sugars 6.4G | fibre 6G | protein 18G | salt 1.8G

Recipes extracted from To Asia, With Love by Hetty McKinnon (£26, Prestel). These recipes have been supplied by the publisher and not retested by us.