Recipe
Sichuan Asparagus with Tofu Salad
This beautiful salad is nice and spicy with lots of Sichuan peppercorns, garlic and dried chillies. It was created by the amazing Mim Hatcher, who has a passion for home grown produce and home baked food. We hope you enjoy Mim’s tasty spears!
Ingredients
- 500g asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths
- 250g firm tofu, sliced
- 4 spring onions, sliced (see Tip)
Chilli Dressing:
- 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns (see Tip)
- 4 tablespoons Chiu Chow chilli oil (see Tip)
- 3 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar (see Tip)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Method
- To prepare the Chilli Dressing: Dry roast the peppercorns in a small pan until fragrant for 1-2 minutes, taking care not to burn them. Remove from the stove and set aside to cool. When cool, crush the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle.
- Mix the crushed peppercorns with the chilli oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, tahini and sesame seeds and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 1 minute until bright coloured and just tender. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water to stop the cooking process. When completely cooled, drain on paper towel.
- Combine the asparagus, tofu and spring onions in a large bowl, pour over the Chilli Dressing and toss gently to coat the vegetables.
Tips
- Sichuan peppercorns, Chiu Chow chilli oil and Chinese black vinegar (also known as Chinkiang) are available from Asian supermarkets.
- Mim used the thinnings from her homegrown red onions in her recipe (as pictured) but says that spring onions could also be used.
Recipe by Mim Hatcher of @mimscuisine on Instagram.