Sichuan

Classic Sichuan dish with silky tofu, vegan mince, and fermented black beans in a spicy, numbing sauce. Ingredients 3 garlic cloves 2 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar (30 ml) 1 tbsp cornstarch (15 ml) 1 fresh red chili salt to taste 1 tsp rapeseed oil for frying jasmine rice to serve 2 × 2 cm piece fresh ginger 4 spring onions ½ tbsp Sichuan peppercorns (7.5 ml) 400 g firm natural tofu 100 g vegan mince 1 tbsp sesame oil (15 ml) 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (15 ml) 2½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (37.5 ml) 3 tbsp fermented black beans in chili oil (45 ml) 400 ml water (4 dl) 2 tbsp water (30 ml) for cornstarch slurry Instructions Peel and finely chop garlic and ginger, and slice the lower white part of the spring onions separately from the green part. Rinse and slice the chili. Remove the seeds if you want a milder dish. Toast the Sichuan pepper in a dry frying pan and set aside for now. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Cut the tofu into approximately 1½ × 1½ × 1½ cm cubes and simmer them in the water for about 3 minutes. This makes the tofu firmer while absorbing a bit more liquid and becoming silkier. Heat rapeseed oil in a wok or frying pan with high sides and fry the vegan mince until crispy together with sesame oil and 1 tablespoon Japanese soy sauce. Remove the mince from the pan and then fry garlic, ginger, chili and white spring onion in the remaining fat until the onion becomes soft and starts to smell good. Pour in the fermented beans and fry for 1 more minute. Add tofu, 4 dl water, vinegar and 2½ tablespoons soy sauce and let cook for 6-8 minutes on low heat until the sauce has reduced somewhat and the flavors have come together. Let the mince cook with it for the last 2 minutes. Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and stir into the pan little by little until you get a medium-thick consistency. Stir in the green spring onions and taste with soy sauce. Grind the Sichuan pepper in a mortar and sprinkle over the dish and remove from heat. Serve with freshly cooked jasmine rice. Notes Spice level: Remove chili seeds for a milder dish. The Sichuan peppercorns provide the signature numbing sensation. ...

Spicy Sichuan noodles with soy mince, tahini sauce, and Sichuan peppercorns. Bold, flavorful, and satisfying. Ingredients Noodles and Mince 500 g udon noodles 5 spring onions (both white and green parts) 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns (15 ml) 300 g soy mince 2 tsp sesame oil 1½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (22.5 ml) rapeseed oil for frying Sauce 6 garlic cloves 3 tbsp grated fresh ginger (45 ml) 0-3 fresh red chilies or 0-2 tbsp sambal oelek (adjust to taste) 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (45 ml) 3 tbsp sauerkraut (45 ml) 2½ tbsp chili oil (37.5 ml) 3 tbsp Chinese vinegar (45 ml) 1 tbsp agave syrup (15 ml) 2 tbsp tahini (30 ml) Instructions Start by preparing your vegetables: slice the spring onions and separate the white parts from the green. The white parts go in with the mince and are fried, while the green parts go in at the end as a topping. Peel and grate both the ginger and garlic. Coarsely chop the sauerkraut and slice the fresh chili if using. Cook your noodles and let them stand in cold water until serving to maintain their texture. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry wok or frying pan. When they smell good, remove from pan and grind in a mortar. Set aside for the end when they’ll be sprinkled over the noodles. You can also measure out the liquid sauce ingredients: 3 tbsp soy sauce, chili oil, tahini, syrup and vinegar in a bowl so you don’t have to think about measuring them while cooking. Heat a wok or frying pan to high heat with a little rapeseed oil and fry the soy mince, sauerkraut and white parts of spring onions together with 1½ tbsp soy sauce and sesame oil until the mince becomes crispy. Set aside in a bowl, you’ll add this back to the wok when the sauce is ready. In the same wok or pan you just fried the mince in, pour in a little more rapeseed oil and fry garlic, ginger and fresh chili on high heat for about 30 seconds. Stir constantly so it doesn’t burn, but so everything gets cooked through and smells good. Pour all liquid sauce ingredients into the pan (soy sauce, chili oil, tahini, syrup and vinegar) and stir. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust with soy sauce, vinegar and possibly more chili oil if you think the balance needs adjusting. Now you can choose to serve your noodles in one of two ways, depending on what feels best. Either serve the dish as it’s usually served in China, i.e. with sauce at the bottom, noodles in the middle and then topped with mince and spring onions. Or, you simply stir everything together in the wok and serve it all mixed. If serving separately: pour hot water over your noodles to warm them up (if you let them stand in cold water). Then ladle sauce into the bottom of four bowls, distribute the noodles and mince in them and top with Sichuan pepper and green spring onions. If serving mixed: stir the noodles into the sauce and let them warm up. You may need to add a tablespoon of water to compensate for what evaporates. Fold in the mince, stir so everything mixes and then top with Sichuan pepper and spring onions. Serve from the wok at the table! Notes Serving style: Can be served traditionally (layered) or all mixed together - choose your preference! ...