Recipes Zingy Vietnamese-style noodles with fried sesame tofu Ingredients 280g extra-firm tofu 2 tbsp coconut oil 1 tbsp maple syrup 2 tbsp mixed sesame seeds For the dressing Juice of 3 limes 2 tbsp maple syrup Method 1 Drain the tofu well. Chop into 2cm cubes, then pat dry in a clean tea towel. Pop into a bowl, stir in 2 tablespoons of the dressing and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. 2 Meanwhile, place the dried vermicelli in a large, wide heatproof serving bowl, pour over some just-boiled water and leave for the length of time specified on the packet usually around 5-8 minutes. or coconut sugar 2 tbsp fish sauce (vegan if you prefer) 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 Thai chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, or 2 squirts of chilli sauce (or to taste) For the noodle salad minute of cooking, stir in the maple syrup and sesame seeds and remove from the heat. 8 7 Drain the noodles once they are tender, wipe the bowl out with a clean tea towel and then pop the noodles back in the bowl, roughly snipping with scissors so they are easier to eat. 300g thin (rice or mung bean) dried vermicelli 2 handfuls of mixed fresh herbs such as coriander, basil and mint Leaves from 2 Little Gem lettuces 2 tbsp cashews or peanuts 2 carrots and half cucumber, sliced into matchsticks Drizzle over half of the dressing, add the herbs and veg and toss together in the bowl. 9 Scatter over the tofu, then sprinkle the nuts on top to finish. Serve with extra dressing on the side so that everyone can add more if they like. SERVES 4 3 Keep the leaves of the fresh herbs whole and finely chop the stalks (discarding any mint) and tear the lettuce leaves. 4 Heat up a large frying pan, add the cashews or peanuts and toast on a medium heat for 2 minutes until lightly golden, then tip onto a chopping board and roughly chop. 5 Pop the pan back on the heat and melt the coconut oil. Using tongs, place the tofu pieces in the pan, spacing them out, and fry on a medium-high heat for 45 minutes, then turn over and cook for another 4 minutes. 6 Try to leave them undisturbed as they fry so they go lightly golden and then, during the final Extracted from Feel Good by Melissa Hemsley (Ebury Press, 22). Photography by Lizzie Mayson 18 Inspire Autumn 22 pp16-18 Recipes.indd 18 16/08/2022 16:50