Vietnamese griddled tofu with tomatoes and spring onions from the Green Barbecue by Rukmini Iyer

This is one dish that I didn’t manage to try while in Vietnam, but ate instead at a very good Vietnamese restaurant in Chicago. It’s a simple yet very moreish dish, packed with intense flavour from the tomatoes. In this version, I barbecue the tofu for extra flavour and texture. I’d serve this with plain rice.

Prep 10min

Cook 50min

 Ingredients

250g cherry tomatoes on the vine

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp sea salt flakes

1 tsp sugar

1 clove of garlic, unpeeled

280g firm tofu (I like to use Tofoo)

2 tbsp sesame or neutral oil

1 tsp sea salt flakes

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

4 spring onions, finely sliced

1 lime, juice and zest

 Method

Take a large piece of foil and place the cherry tomatoes, their vines, the tomato paste, sea salt flakes, sugar and garlic in the middle. Fold it up to make a neat packet, with the seams on the top.

Press the liquid out of the tofu, using your hands and a clean tea towel or kitchen paper, then cut it into 1½cm deep triangles. Gently dress them in a bowl with the sesame oil, sea salt flakes and pepper.

Once your barbecue is good and hot, place the tomato packet directly on the coals and set a timer for 15 minutes. Barbecue the tofu for 4–5 minutes per side until crisp and golden brown.

Once your tomatoes are cooked, tip them into a bowl and squash them down with a wooden spoon. Gently stir through the crispy tofu, scatter over the spring onions and lime juice, and serve hot, or at room temperature. (What you lose in crispness by letting the dish sit, you gain in flavour.)