There’s nothing a well-cooked meal cannot fix. Especially when it is a tangy, saucy, spicy mix. Our pick for this month is classic Chinese tofu, and for those with a sweet tooth, a typical English chocolate tart with a spin.
So put on your aprons and get those whisks and ladles ready. It’s kitchen time!
Mapo Tofu
You’ll need:
- 300g diced tofu
- 1tsp chili bean paste
- 1/2tsp Sichuan oil
- 2tbsp cooking oil
- 1tsp spicy black bean
- 100ml water
- 1/2tsp dark soy
- 1/2tsp red chili powder
- 1/2tsp sugar
- 1tbsp potato starch
- 2tbsp water
- 2tbsp leeks, sliced
- 1tsp garlic, chopped
- 1tsp ginger, chopped
- 1tsp spring onions, chopped
How to prepare:
- Heat the Sichuan oil and cooking oil in a pan. Add the spicy black bean and the chili bean paste, and sauté well.
- Sauté the ginger, garlic, and chili powder for a while.
- Add water (100ml) and dark soy to the sauté mix.
- Throw in the spring onion, leeks, tofu, and sugar. Bring it to boil (2 minutes).
- In a stainless steel container, mix the potato starch and water (2 tbsp) to prepare the thickening starch. Adjust the thickening and add it to the previous mix.
- Serve hot with a bowl of steamed rice.
Chocolate Pecan Tart
You’ll need: For the pastry
- 125g plain flour
- 2tbsp icing sugar
- 2tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 egg
- 1tsp lemon juice
- 135g cold and cubed unsalted butter
For the filling:
- 80g shredded dark chocolate
- 45g unsalted butter
- 160g granulated sugar
- 235ml maple syrup
- 3 medium eggs
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 235g chopped pecans
- Vanilla ice cream or double cream, to serve
How to prepare:
- Mix the icing sugar, flour, and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Lightly whisk the egg with lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water in a measuring jar and set it aside.
- Throw the butter cubes into the dry mixture and rub them in slowly. Pour in the egg mixture and mix to form a dough.
- When the dough is ready, roll small balls out of it. Knead the dough smooth on a floured surface. Wrap the pastry in cling film and leave it to cool in the fridge for half an hour.
- Preheat oven to 190C and heat the baking tray.
- Roll the pastry out on a floured surface and use it to line a 10-inch baking tin. Poke the base of the pastry using a fork and leave it to chill for 10 minutes.
- Line the tin with butter paper and fill it with uncooked rice. Place the tin on the hot baking tray and bake until the pastry turns golden brown.
- Now, remove the rice and the butter paper from the tin. Adjust the oven temperature to 180°C and place the tin in the oven until the base is well cooked.
- For the filling, melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Once it melts, set it aside to cool.
- In a saucepan, boil the granulated sugar and maple syrup together. Stir constantly. Set aside to cool.
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl and fold in the chocolate mixture. Whisk in the sugar syrup mixture, and add vanilla extract and pecans. Mix it well.
- Pour the pecan filling into the baked pastry and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until set.
- Cool and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipping cream.