Tofu has a staple in Asian cooking for thousands of years, and I think it is seriously under used in England. Although it might seem an odd concotion, it is basically just the curds of soy milk pressed into a block; resulting in high protein, high calcium, ingredient that can be used in sweet and savoury dishes. The way I use it most is pressed (which firms it and stops it being too ‘rubbery’), then fried with garlic, ginger, chilli and added to steamed vegetables with a miso and water sauce. Here I wanted it with some raw vegetables for a more ‘summer like’ lunch – that can still be started and finished within half an hour!

Served 1

200g firm tofu

1/4 head broccoli

handful cashew nuts (about 25g)

4 cherry tomatoes

handful salad leaves

2 spring onions

soy sauce

1/2 chilli, deseeded

1 garlic clove

2cm ginger, peeled

Chop the tofu in 2cm slices, then again into cubes about 2cm wide. Leave on a chopping board with kitchen paper on top, a heavy weight and drain for about 20 minutes.

The longer you press it the firmer it will become, so leave it for as long as you feel neccessary.

Dice the chilli, garlic and ginger and add to a hot frying pan/small wok with a dash of oil. Add the tofu, and fry until light golden.

Meanwhile, chop the broccoli and steam in a bowl with a splack of water in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Add to the pan, along with the tomatoes, cashews, spring onion, good splash of soy sauce and fry for 3 minutes.

Place the salad leaves on the bottom of the bowl, add the tofu/broccoli mix, and finish with a splash more soy sauce.

Enjoy x