Black pepper tofu with charred Brussels sprouts and green tea soba noodles

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.

Remove the tofu from the packet and discard the liquid.

In a baking tray with a rim, place the tofu between a few layers of paper towel or a tea towel, place another baking tray or pot on top, then add about 2 kg of weight.

Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes.

Remove any loose outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts and chop in half lengthwise.

Finely chop the ginger and garlic.

Thinly slice shallot.

Thinly slice the white part of the spring onions. Slice the green part into 2 cm batons.

Get a bowl of ice water ready.

Cook the Brussels sprouts in boiling salted water for 90 seconds, or until just cooked, then transfer to the ice water to stop them from cooking further.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan over a medium heat. Cut the tofu into 3 cm cubes, toss in cornflour and fry until golden on each side (approximately 4 minutes total).

Remove tofu from the pan and set aside on paper towels. Wipe out the pan to remove the oil and return to the heat.

In the same pan you cooked the tofu in, add a little more oil.

Cook the Brussels sprouts cut side down for a few minutes until they start to brown (a little black is good), then flip them.

Add the shallot and the white part of the spring onions, then cook for 3 minutes before adding the ginger and garlic. Fry on a medium low heat for 2 minutes, or until soft.

While frying the shallot, cook the soba noodles. Add the noodles to a pot of boiling salted water and cook for 5 minutes. Strain and toss with a little oil to prevent sticking.

Add the triple soy mix and black pepper mix to the Brussels sprouts.

Add the tofu to the pan, then reduce the heat to low and toss together until heated through.

Serve black pepper tofu over soba noodles, topped with the remaining spring onions.