Tofu Katsu with Rice

FOR 4 SERVES:

• 175 g sushi rice
• 4 spring onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 red chili
• 500 ml sunflower oil, plus 2 tbsp
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 150 g frozen peas
• 125 g tempura batter
• 30 g panko breadcrumbs
• 375 g tofu
• 2 sprigs of coriander, leaves picked
• 2 sprigs of Thai basil, leaves picked
• salt

FOR PICKLED CARROTS:

• 3 carrots
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar

• Follow the instructions on the package and cook the rice. Leave to cool completely.
• Clean the carrots and cut into match sticks with a mandolin. In a bowl mix rice wine vinegar and sugar. Add the carrot sticks and leave to marinade for at least 10 minutes.
• Slice 2 spring onions into rings. Peel the garlic, deseed the chili if necessary, and chop both garlic and chili. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok on a high heat, fry the spring onions, garlic and chili 1-2 minutes. Add the rice, pour in the soy sauce and fry 8-9 minutes, stirring occasionally – it is okay for the rice to stick to the pan a bit. Add the peas and stir-fry 2-3 minutes with the rice until the peas are hot.
• Mix the tempura batter with 180 ml water. Spread the panko breadcrumbs across a plate. Squeeze excess moisture from the tofu. First coat the tofu with the batter and next with the panko.
• Pour the oil into a wok – you need a layer of at least 2 cm. Heat the oil and check the temperature by dropping a little panko into the hot oil – the panko should start to ‘dance’ immediately. Fry the tofu 2-3 minutes on all sides until the panko is nice and golden brown. Remove the tofu from the pan and leave to drain on some paper towel.
• Thinly slice the remaining spring onions and roughly chop the coriander and basil leaves. Cut the tofu in slices of about ½ cm thick and serve with the fried rice. Serve with pickled carrots, garnish with fresh herbs and spring onions, and season to taste with salt.