Seasonal eating: chilli tofu, pak choi, onion flower stems and garlic scape

Do not adjust your screen, there are two plates in the above image. I'm pleased to say that all of the veg for this dinner last night came from the garden. Stir-frying is a great way to enjoy garlic scapes and onion flower stems. This is a variation on a Chinese-Singaporean dish, and serves 2-4, depending on how hungry they are!

Chilli tofu, pak choi and garlic scape

300g tofu, cut into small squares
2 tbsp groundnut oil
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 thai chillies, (or 8 larger cayenne types), filely chopped
4-6 garlic scapes and/or onion flower stems, sliced on the diagonal to about 1/2"
2-3 pak choi, sliced across about 1/2" thick
the tops of 2-3 shallots (or green onions), sliced on the diagonal to about 1/2"
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
fish sauce to taste (optional)
1 egg
2 coriander plants, roots and all, finely chopped

1 cup jasmine rice, to serve.

For the sauce:
1 cup water
5 tbsp tomato puree (or 2 pureed tomatoes)
1 tbsp hoisin sauce or black bean sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1/2 tsp flour
1/2 tsp palm sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat and add the tofu. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the tofu crisps and browns evenly - this will take up to 20 minutes. Add a splash more oil as you go if required. Add the garlic and stir fry for 1 minute, then add the chilli, garlic ramps and onion flower stems and stir fry for 1 minute more. Add the sauce, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened slightly. Add the pak choi and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until wilted. Add the lime juice and rice wine vinegar, then taste for seasoning. You can add some fish sauce to add salt and savouriness at this stage if you think it is required. Crack the egg into the sauce and stir in so that it creates little strands of egg in the sauce. Remove from the heat, stir in the coriander and shallot tops, and serve with jasmine rice (see note below) and a coriander garnish.

Jasmine rice: I like to microwave my rice in a microwave rice cooker. You get great steamed rice with little mess. Put the cup of rice and 2-and-a-bit cups of water in the cooker, and put in the microwave for 10 minutes just as the tofu is crispy and you're ready to get on with the rest of the recipe. This gives it a couple of minutes to rest. The slight stickyness of the jasmine rice makes it perfect for pressing into a mould such as a coffee cup, to make a pretty rice cake to go with your meal.