150g firm tofu

2 tbsp chilli sauce

1.5 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

3 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp maple or agave syrup

500g Brussels sprouts

180ml sunflower oil

100g spring onions, sliced

half a small finely chopped chilli

120g shiitake mushrooms, halved

15g coriander leaves

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

First, marinade the tofu. In a bowl, whisk together the chilli sauce, soy sauce or tamari, two tablespoons of sesame oil, vinegar and syrup. Cut the tofu block into 0.5cm slices and then each slice into two squarish pieces. Gently lay in the marinade and set aside.

Trim the bases off the sprouts and cut each lengthways into 2-3 thick slices depending on the size of your sprouts. Take a large, non-stick pan, and in it heat up four tablespoons of the oil. Add half the sprouts, a little salt, and cook on high heat for two minutes. Don’t stir too much as you want the sprouts to almost burn in a few places, cook through but remain crunchy. Transfer into a bowl and repeat with the rest of the sprouts. This can of course be done in one batch if you have a pan big enough.

Add two more spoonfuls of oil to the pan and add the spring onion, chilli and mushrooms. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to the same bowl as the sprouts.

Leave the pan on high heat, using a pair of tongs lift half the tofu into the pan, be careful as the oil may spit, spaced apart in one layer. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes on each side until nicely caramelised. Transfer tofu to the bowl with everything else and repeat until all the tofu is done.

Return everything to the cooking pan, remove it from the heat, add the tofu marinade and half the coriander. Toss together and allow to cool slightly in the pan. Taste and add salt if needed (it shouldn’t be). Stir in the remaining sesame oil and serve warm rather than hot. Garnish with the sesame seeds and extra coriander.

Source: Ottolenghi