Fiery Xi'an-Inspired Salt & Pepper Fried Tofu With Spring Roll

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

Rinse your brown rice, add it to a pot with plenty of cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20-25 min or until it's tender with a slight bite

Once cooked, drain, return it to the pot and keep covered until serving

Meanwhile, heat a large dry pan over a medium heat

Once hot, add your cumin seeds

Cook for 1-2 min or until fragrant

Tip: Watch them like a hawk to make sure they don't burn!

Once fragrant, transfer the toasted cumin to a pestle & mortar and reserve the pan

Add your salt and pepper chilli seasoning and umami seasoning to the pestle & mortar and bash into a fine powder – this is your Xi'an-inspired spice mix

Drain your tofu and pat it dry with kitchen paper, then tear into bite-sized pieces

Add your cornflour to a bowl with your Xi'an-inspired spice mix and a pinch of sugar and mix until fully combined

Add the torn tofu to the bowl and give everything a good mix up until all the tofu is coated – this is your coated tofu

Return the reserved pan to a medium-high heat with a very generous drizzle of vegetable oil (enough to cover the base of the pan)

Once hot, add the coated tofu and cook for 10-12 min, turning occasionally, or until crisp and golden brown – this is your Xi'an-inspired fried tofu

Add your vegetable spring rolls to a baking tray and put in the oven for 10-12 min or until golden and cooked through

Whilst everything is cooking, peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Cut your red chilli[es] in half lengthways, deseed (scrape the seeds out with a teaspoon) and chop finely

Bash your cucumber with a rolling pin and chop it into small, bite-sized pieces – this is your smashed cucumber

Tip: Bash the cucumber in its bag to avoid mess. By bruising the cucumber, the water is drawn out more easily!

Combine your ketjap manis with half your rice vinegar (you'll use the rest later!), half the chopped red chilli (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) and the chopped garlic in a small bowl

Add 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] cold water and stir it all together – this is your spicy dipping sauce