Miso-glazed tofu steaks with beansprout salad & egg strands

Prepare the beansprout salad. Put the beansprouts in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 2 mins, then drain well and leave to cool, tossing with your hand from time to time to speed up the cooling. Combine with the pepper, radishes and spring onion.

To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients except the oil until the sugar dissolves. Trickle in the oil slowly while whisking to emulsify. Stir the dressing through the beansprout mixture and chill until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.

Drain the tofu, wrap the whole block in kitchen paper, and press gently to absorb excess moisture. Unwrap and cut in half across the middle, then in half again diagonally, to create four triangles. If using 2 packs, you will end up with 8 smaller triangles.

To prepare the tofu glaze, place the miso paste in a cup and add 2 tbsp of boiling water. Whisk with a fork until completely smooth. Pour into a pan that the tofu will fit into in a single layer. Add the mirin and soy sauce, stir and bring to the boil. Add the tofu to the sauce and simmer for 15 mins, turning the tofu carefully halfway through.

Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Carefully lift the tofu from the sauce and place on the tray. Cook in the oven for 15 mins, then turn off the oven and leave the tofu in to keep warm. Meanwhile, to thicken the glaze, raise the heat to a medium boil, stir occasionally,until syrupy. Set aside.

To make the egg strands, beat together the eggs and mirin with 2 tbsp cold water and a large pinch of salt until well mixed, but not frothy. Heat a medium non-stick pan over a low-medium heat and add the oil, spreading it over the surface with a spatula. Pour in a quarter of the egg mixture and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan, forming a very thin omelette. Cook for about 4-5 mins until the top is dry and the bottom is set but not too brown. Carefully remove from the pan (no need to flip) and place on a plate. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, adding a touch more oil if the pan seems dry. Stack the omelettes on top of each other and cool. Don’t worry if they rip or buckle, but do stack them up as flat as possible. Once cool enough to handle, roll them up carefully into a tight sausage and slice thinly with a sharp knife.

Remove the tofu from the oven and spoon a bit of glaze over the top of each piece, spreading with the back of a spoon. (If the glaze has cooled completely and is too thick, reheat slightly until spoonable). Reserve any remaining glaze to finish.

To assemble, arrange the beansprout salad on a plate. Place the tofu steaks on top of the salad and scatter with the egg strands, peanuts and pea shoots. Finish with a drizzle of the glaze.