Sweet and Sour Broccoli and Tofu

Rinse and dry the tofu. Put tofu blocks between two layers of kitchen paper and press down to press out as much liquid as possible. Repeat the procedure a couple of times with fresh kitchen paper. Cut tofu in 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the broccoli florets for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain well.

To make the sauce, whisk together tomato paste, ketchup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil and sugar.

Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a wok or a large, deeper pan. Add tofu and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring until golden brown all over. Transfer to a plate.

Finely mince dried chilies, garlic and ginger. Slice scallions into thin rings, keeping the white and green parts separated.

Heat remaining tablespoon of peanut oil. Add chilies, garlic, ginger and white scallion parts to the wok and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the sauce and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Add tofu and stir to coat.

Dry broccoli very well using kitchen paper again. This step is not entirely necessary but it is better to do it if you intend to add the broccoli to the wok as well. Too much water would thin down the sauce. Otherwise, you can serve the broccoli on the side.

Sprinkle the dish with the sesame seeds and scallion greens and serve with rice.