- 1 butternut squash
- A 200g bag of French beans
- 2 garlic cloves
- A thumb of ginger
- A 190g pack of marinated tofu
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 2 tbsp brown rice vinegar
- A pinch of chilli flakes
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 100ml boiling water
- Food processor (optional)
- Small pan with a lid
- Wok or deep frying pan
- Kitchen paper
- Measuring jug
- 1.
Halve the squash. Scoop out the seeds. Peel and roughly chop the squash into chunks. Tip into a food processor. Blitz for 1-2 mins to make fine ‘grains’. No processor? Just coarsely grate the squash.
- 2.
Put the squash rice to one side. Trim the woody ends off the French beans. Peel and crush or grate the garlic. Peel and grate the ginger. Drain the tofu. Chop it into bite size pieces.
- 3.
Tip the squash rice into a pan. Season well with salt and pepper. Cover. Gently cook over a low heat for 10 mins, stirring now and then till the rice is tender. If it looks like it’s catching and burning, add a splash of water.
- 4.
While the rice cooks, warm 1 tbsp oil in a wok or deep frying pan. Add the tofu. Fry for 5-6 mins, turning once or twice till the tofu is golden and crisp. Lift out of the pan. Drain on kitchen paper.
- 5.
Add another ½ tbsp oil to the wok. Add the French beans. Stir fry over a high heat for 5 mins till the beans are a little charred and wrinkled.
- 6.
Return the tofu to the wok. Add the garlic and ginger. Add 2 tbsp each of the tamari and rice vinegar. Add a pinch of the chilli flakes. Stir fry for 1 min till the pan smells sweet and aromatic.
- 7.
Pour in 100 ml boiling water. Simmer for 5 mins. Taste and add more tamari if you like. Serve the stir fry with the warm butternut squash rice.
- Tip
Hot, hot, hot
A sprinkle of leftover chilli flakes adds spiciness to pasta sauces, salad dressings, stews and soups. Try mixing a pinch with lime juice and grated ginger, then adding to root veg before roasting them.