Spiced tofu with aubergine and enoki mushrooms (Cà tím sốt cay Tứ Xuyên)

Uyen says: “You can do all sorts of amazing things with aubergines (eggplants); I love aubergines! They soak up any sort of magic you throw at them. I often buy a jar of ready-made spicy bean paste when I stock up on my store cupboard supplies. It quickly helps me achieve the special, spicy umami flavours with the smoky luxurious aubergines and coat the silken tofu cubes in a lava of chilli oil. This sublime dish makes its appearance at my dinner table on a regular rotation.”

Serves 4

Prep time — 10 minutes

Cooking time — 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 aubergines
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
3 shallots, sliced
25g (¾ oz) fresh ginger root, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, grinded (optional)
100g (3½ oz) enoki mushrooms, halved lengthways if too fat
½ red pepper, diced into 5 mm (¼ in) cubes
1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce
2 tablespoons spicy bean sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce or Homemade Vegan Fish Sauce (see above)
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 teaspoon fermented tofu, mashed
100ml (3½ fl oz) coconut water
300g (10½ oz) silken tofu, cut into cubes
20g (¾ oz) coriander or Thai basil, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon pink pepper (or black pepper), crushed
2 tablespoons crispy chilli oil (Laoganman) or lemongrass and chilli oil (see below)

Method

Place the aubergines over the flame of two gas hobs, which are set to a medium heat. Turn the aubergines every couple of minutes and cook until all areas are soft and almost falling apart (about 6–8 minutes). If you don’t have a gas hob, you can cook the aubergines in a fan oven at 200°C (400°F/gas 6) for 25 minutes.

Once the aubergines are cooked, scoop the flesh out into a bowl, and discard the skin. Set aside.

In a medium-hot wok or frying pan , add the oil, shallot, ginger and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes. Mix in the Sichuan peppercorns (if using) then throw in the mushrooms and red pepper, stir-fry for a moment then add the vegetarian oyster sauce, spicy bean sauce, soy sauce, tomato purée and mashed fermented tofu. Stir-fry for 2 minutes to mix in all the flavours. The pan will be dry at this point, so add the coconut water to loosen and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the silken tofu cubes and gently fold into the aubergine and mushroom mix. Gently fold in the coriander or Thai basil, being careful not to break too many tofu cubes. Let it sizzle for another couple of minutes.

To serve, season with crushed pepper and crispy chilli oil or homemade lemongrass and chilli oil.

Lemongrass and chilli oil

Makes approx. 100 ml (3½ fl oz)

Prep time — 5–15 minutes

Cooking time — 15 minutes

Ingredients

5 garlic cloves
3 shallots
4 lemongrass stalks, finely chopped
1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
2 teaspoons chilli powder or chilli flakes
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon mushroom seasoning powder
2 tablespoons shop-bought crispy chilli oil
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil

Method

In a grinder or small food processor, blend the garlic, shallots and lemongrass together. If you don’t have a machine, finely chop by hand.

Place in a frying pan with the cooking oil and cook over a medium heat for 7–10 minutes until golden. Then reduce to a low heat, add the chilli powder, salt, sugar, mushroom seasoning powder and crispy chilli oil. Mix well together, then cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat, let it cool uncovered, then transfer to a sterilised jar and cover the top with the rapeseed oil.

Refrigerate and use within 3 weeks.

Vietnamese Vegetarian by Uyen Luu (£25, Hardie Grant) is out now.

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