Stir-Fried Tofu and Crunchy Vegetables with Black Bean Sauce (豉汁豆腐炒糖豌豆)

It's taken me 3 attempts to get this recipe to something acceptable, and I finally managed it tonight. The veggies are extra crunchy, so keep the lid on the wok for a minute longer if you prefer them to be a bit softer. It was eaten by all three children, which is a small triumph - even though the eldest only ate the sugar snaps, the middle only ate the baby corn, and the youngest only ate the tofu.... still, between us we managed to finish the dish!

Ingredients

• 150g sugar snap peas
• 150g babycorn
• 200g tofu, cut into 2cm cubes
• 1/2 onion, finely sliced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped finely
• 3 tsp black bean sauce, mixed with 30ml water
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 slice raw ginger, peeled and bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• A few drops of sesame oil
• (Optional) 1 tsp cornflour, mixed with a little water to thicken
• Sunflower or vegetable oil for deep frying

Serves 2-3

Instructions

• Remove the fibrous string on the sides of the sugar snap peas by pinching the stem of the pea and "unzipping" the string. Cut the babycorn into halves, widthways at an angle, so that the lengths of babycorn are roughly the same length as the sugar snaps. Wash both thoroughly and place to one side
• Pour approx. 4-5cm depth of sunflower or vegetable oil into a wok, and heat until a wooden chopstick bubbles when placed into a wok. Carefully place the tofu cubes into the hot oil, an deep fry for approx. 8 minutes, shaking occasionally so that the tofu does not stick to the bottom. When the tofu has taken on a golden colour, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels. Place to one side
• Pour most of the oil out of the wok, leaving approx. 1-2 tbsp. Reheat the oil to just below smoking, and add the ginger, stirring around to flavour the oil
• Add the sliced onion and stir fry quickly for 1 minute until the onion is glossy and coated with oil
• Add the sugar snap peas and stir fry for another minute, until they are glossy and coated with oil. Throw in the chopped garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds until the garlic is aromatic. Remove the ginger from the wok
• Add the tofu and babycorn and stir-fry quickly for approx. 1 minute, until all of the ingredients are mixed together
• Add the black bean sauce/water mixture and the sugar, and stir-fry to mix the ingredients. Cover the wok and cook for a further minute
• Remove the wok from the heat and add a couple of drops of sesame oil. Stir the ingredients, transfer to a warmed plate and serve immediately

Stir-Fried Tofu and Crunchy Vegetables with Black Bean Sauce (豉汁豆腐炒糖豌豆)