Steamed Silken Tofu with Prawns

📝 Ingredients

• 300 g silken tofu (1 block)
• 200 g raw peeled prawns
• 1 tsp cornflour (for the prawns)
• 150 g jasmine rice + 225 ml cold water
• 300 g broccoli florets
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tbsp hot water + 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp groundnut oil + 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 spring onions
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• Salt, white pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Steamer (or large sauté pan with a lid and a rack)
• Heatproof shallow bowl
• Saucepan with lid
• Small saucepan
• Chef's knife
• Bowl

📖 Steps

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs almost clear, then put it in the saucepan with the 225 ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, cover and cook for 12 min over a very low heat, then leave to rest for 10 min off the heat without lifting the lid.
2. Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper, then toss them in the bowl with the cornflour and a pinch each of salt and white pepper. This thin coating keeps them tender and juicy as they cook. Keep in the fridge.
3. Open the block of silken tofu, pour off the water, then turn it out carefully onto the shallow dish. Cut it into 6 thick slices directly on the plate and fan them out slightly. Avoid handling it with your fingers: it's very fragile.
4. Bring 3 cm of water to the boil in the steamer over a high heat. Steam the broccoli for 6 to 7 min, until tender but still bright green and with a little bite. Season with salt and keep warm in a covered dish.
5. Arrange the prawns on the tofu slices, pressing lightly so they stay in place. Put the plate in the steamer, cover and cook for 8 to 10 min over a high heat, until the prawns are pink and opaque and the tofu is hot all the way through.
6. While it cooks, finely chop the garlic and slice the spring onions. Heat the groundnut oil over a low heat in the small saucepan and cook the garlic for 1 min until pale golden, without letting it brown: it would turn bitter.
7. Off the heat, add the soy sauce, hot water, sugar and sesame oil to the garlic, then stir until the sugar has dissolved. Careful, the mixture sizzles a little when it hits the hot oil.
8. Lift the plate out with oven gloves and carefully pour off the water released by the tofu, holding the slices back with a spatula. Spoon over the hot sauce, scatter with spring onions and sesame seeds, then serve straight away with the rice and broccoli.