Sichuan Pepper Soup with Crunchy Tofu Croutons

Ingredients

For the Broth

500ml hot water
1 tsp sichuan peppercorns (smashed) or powder (available at Chinese Supermarkets)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp salt
1 vegetable stock cube
2 large florets of broccoli, quartered
Small handful of udon noodles
Handful of Brussels sprouts, chopped (you can swap them for cabbage if you don't like them!)
2 small carrots, roughly chopped
Julienned baby leeks and spring onions for garnish

For the Tofu

Half a block of firm/extra firm tofu, pressed and chopped into chunks
Handful of plain flour for dusting

Method

- Add all of the broth ingredients into a large pot apart from the leeks, spring onions and noodles.
- When carrots are almost tender, add in the noodles and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a chip pan/deep fat fryer until boiling *BE CAREFUL*, dust the tofu with flour thoroughly and then carefully add to the fryer and fry until a golden brown in colour.
- When the soup and tofu are ready, place them in a bowl (see above for serving suggestion) and garnish with leeks and spring onions.

* These tofu bites are great on their own, you can make more and taste delicious dipped into the leftover broth!

Enjoy!