Name: Victor Liong’s cold silken tofu with peanuts, salted daikon, coriander and black vinegar
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 - 6
Ingredients: 300 gm silken tofu, cut into 1.5 cm-thick slices; 1 tbsp preserved salted daikon (see note); 25 gm roasted unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped; 1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns; Coriander leaves and fried shallots, to serve; Hunan-style salted chillies; 8 long red chillies; 7 birdseye chillies; 2½ tbsp salt flakes, plus 2 tsp for sprinkling; Black-vinegar dressing; 35 gm Lao Gan Ma chilli crisp sauce (see note); 1½ tbsp light soy sauce; 3 tsp Chinkiang vinegar; 3 tsp mirin; 1½ tsp rice wine vinegar; 1½ tsp finely grated ginger; 1 tsp caster sugar dissolved in 1 tsp boiling water

Victor Liong’s cold silken tofu with peanuts, salted daikon, coriander and black vinegar

The Lee Ho Fook chef's go-to dish for summer.

Serves 4 - 6

Prep

25M

“My mum used to make a version of this recipe on days it was too hot to cook,” says Victor Liong. “Top it with any flavour combinations; keep it light Cantonese style with ginger and spring onion, or go as heavy as you like with salted chillies.” Start this recipe two weeks ahead to make the Hunan-style salted chillies.

Ingredients

300 gm silken tofu, cut into 1.5 cm-thick slices

1 tbsp preserved salted daikon (see note)

25 gm roasted unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped

1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns

Coriander leaves and fried shallots, to serve

Hunan-style salted chillies

8 long red chillies

7 birdseye chillies

2½ tbsp salt flakes, plus 2 tsp for sprinkling

Black-vinegar dressing

35 gm Lao Gan Ma chilli crisp sauce (see note)

1½ tbsp light soy sauce

3 tsp Chinkiang vinegar

3 tsp mirin

1½ tsp rice wine vinegar

1½ tsp finely grated ginger

1 tsp caster sugar dissolved in 1 tsp boiling water

Method

1.For Hunan-style salted chillies, coarsely chop all chillies, process in a food processor until chopped to the size of peas, then stand in a sieve to drain excess liquid (20 minutes). Mix chilli with salt and add to a sterilised jar. Press down top of chilli mixture, sprinkle over a layer of salt, seal, and store in a cool, dry spot to ferment (2 weeks). Once opened, salted chillies will keep refrigerated for several months.

2.For black-vinegar dressing, whisk ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.

3.Shingle tofu slices in a bowl. Pour over dressing and top with daikon, peanuts, spring onion, Sichuan pepper, coriander, shallots and salted chillies to taste.