Fragrant Lemongrass Tofu & Chickpea Balls with Sweet Chilli Sauce

Tofu and chickpeas are my new best friends. When partnered with aromatic herbs like ginger, lemongrass and coriander, these humble ingredients transform into something amazing. This is a simple, tasty appetiser, perfect for a big party. You can even fry the balls in advance and keep them hot in the oven until ready to serve and assemble. – Ching He Huang, author of Asian Green

Makes 30 Balls

200g (7oz) fresh firm tofu, drained and roughly chopped

1 tbsp freshly grated root ginger

1 lemongrass stalk, finely grated pinch of sea salt

pinch of finely ground white pepper

1 tbsp cornflour

3 tbsp aquafaba (taken from the canned chickpeas below)

100g (3 1/2oz) canned chickpeas

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 small handful of coriander stalks, finely chopped

1 spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped

50g (13/4oz) plain flour

500ml (18fl oz) vegetable oil

To serve

50g (13/4oz) baby spinach leaves, washed, drained

1 tbsp shichimi togarashi pepper flakes

50ml (2fl oz) sweet chilli sauce

Place the tofu, ginger, lemongrass, salt and white pepper in a food processor and blitz to a smooth consistency. In a small bowl, mix together the cornflour and aquafaba using a fork until well combined. Pour this mixture into the food processor and blitz to combine. Transfer the tofu mixture from the food processer into a bowl.

Place the chickpeas in the food processor and pulse until you have small pieces. Alternatively, you can use a knife to roughly chop them. You want the pieces to be a bit coarse and chunky. Stir the chickpeas into the tofu mixture.

Add the chilli, coriander stalks and spring onion to the mixture and mix to combine well. Using wetted hands, form the mixture into about 30 small balls. Dust the balls with the plain flour and set aside.

Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking and pour in the vegetable oil. Working in batches, use a metal spider strainer or slotted spoon to gently lower the balls into the oil, spooning some oil over them to brown them all over. Fry the balls for 2–3 minutes until golden brown. Carefully remove from the wok and place on a heatproof plate lined with kitchen paper to drain well. Repeat with the remaining balls.

To serve, place each ball on a spinach leaf, sprinkle over some shichimi togarashi pepper flakes and drizzle with a small dollop of sweet chilli sauce.

Serve immediately

This is an extract from Asian Green by Ching He Huang.

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