This is one of my favourite Sichuan dishes!

The soup is full of the best crunchy Chinese ingredients, designed to enhance the kou-gan (textural mouth-feel), inherently important in Chinese cooking.

The bamboo shoots, the wood ear mushrooms, preserved Sichuan vegetables and the silken like texture of the tofu together with the salty, spicy, sour layers makes this dish tantalise your taste-buds!

Perfect for anytime of the year and to turn this into a meal – add some thin rice noodles or egg noodles.

2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

220g tin bamboo shoots, drained

10g julienne sliced wood ear mushrooms, pre -soaked for 20 mins, drained

250gm firm tofu, cut into cubes

50gm tin Sichuan preserved vegetables, sliced (optional)

3 tbsp black rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar

A pinch of ground white pepper

300g cooked vermicelli rice noodles (shop bought)

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water

1 large spring onion, finely sliced

Chopped coriander to garnish - optional

1. Pour the stock into a pan and bring to the boil. Add the ginger, chillies, Shaosing wine, dark soy sauce, bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms.

2. Turn the heat down to medium,
and add the tofu, Sichuan vegetables, light soy sauce, black rice vinegar, chilli oil and white pepper, and simmer for 10 minutes.


3. Add the cooked vermicelli rice noodles and mix well into the soup, cooking for 1 minute.

4. Stir in the beaten egg, then add the blended cornflour and stir to thicken the soup (add more if you like a thicker consistency).


5. Add the spring onion, garnish with the coriander, if you like, and serve immediately.

Tip - If you are vegan, omit the egg. You can use brown rice noodles instead of white rice noodles if you wish.

Briony's no-bake cheesecake is the perfect cooling dessert

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