Black pepper tofu with charred broccoli 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.

Thinly slice shallot.

Remove the florets from the broccoli and cut into bite-sized pieces. Peel the stalk with a knife and slice into 1 cm rounds. If the stalks are very large, cut into half circles.

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 broccoli in the boiling salted water for 45 seconds, until barely cooked, then transfer to the ice water to stop it from cooking further.

Leave the water on the heat to cook the noodles later.

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 the 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 broccoli for a few minutes until it starts to brown (a little black is good), then flip.

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 the 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 broccoli.

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.