Flash-fried sticky tofu

• 175g jasmine rice
• 3 tablespoons good black bean sauce
• a little squeeze of honey or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce or tamari
• groundnut or vegetable oil
• 400g firm smoked tofu, cut into 1cm-thick stripes
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• a small thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and thinly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, bashed and roughly ground in a pestle and motar
• 1 stick of celery, stringy bits peeled off and cut into thin 1cm matchsticks
• 4 spring onions, chopped into 2cm pieces
• 2 big handfuls of green beans (about 400g), trimmed and chopped in half
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. 1

   Start with your rice.

2. 2

   Put the rice into a colander and rinse it really well under cold running water until the water starts to run clear.

3. 3

   Put it into a lidded saucepan with 1 litre of boiling water and bring to the boil over a high heat.

4. 4

   Once boiling, give it a quick stir to make sure there aren't any grains stuck to the bottom.

5. 5

   Cook for 8 minutes at a rolling boil, by which point the surface should look dry and have a few 'breathing' holes.

6. 6

   Take off the heat and cover with a lid wrapped in a clean tea towel for a further 8 minutes.

7. 7

   In a small bowl, mix the black bean sauce with the honey and soy sauce (or maple syrup and tamari).

8. 8

   While the rice is cooking, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a wok over a medium heat.

9. 9

   Add the tofu and cook until crisp and golden.

10. 10

    Then add the garlic, ginger and Sichuan pepper and sizzle for a couple of moments before adding the celery, chopped spring onions and green beans.

11. 11

    Turn up the heat and cook for about 4 minutes until everything is fragrant and hot throughout.

12. 12

    Add the black bean mixture and continue to cook until everything is coated.

13. 13

    Take off the heat and stir in the sesame oil and chilli flakes.

14. 14

    Serve with big piles of steamed rice and with some thinly sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds sprinkled on top.