Crispy Baked Tofu with Sesame Broccoli

Ingredients

• 800 g extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into 3cm cubes
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 400 g broccoli, cut into florets
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• steamed rice and sriracha, to serve
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Heat the oven to 210°C fan. Press the tofu properly — wrap it in kitchen paper, sit it on a board, and weight it under a heavy pan for 10 minutes. Water is the enemy of crispness; what comes out now is what would have steamed the cubes later.
2. Toss the pressed tofu with 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil, the rice vinegar, cornflour and garlic powder. Every cube should look glossy and lightly dusted — the cornflour is what gives you the lacquered, shatter-crisp edge. Season with a pinch of salt and a good crack of black pepper; the soy carries most of the salt, but a pinch ties it together.
3. Spread the tofu across a lined baking tray in a single layer with clear space between each cube. Crowd the tray and they steam; give them room and they roast.
4. Toss the broccoli florets with the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and the minced garlic, then spread across a second lined tray in a single layer. Don't let the garlic sit clumped on top of any one floret — distribute it through the oil so it perfumes the lot rather than scorching in spots. Burnt garlic turns the whole tray bitter, so watch it on the second turn and pull anything going past pale gold.
5. Slide the broccoli in first and roast for 15–18 minutes, until the edges are charred and the stems give to the tip of a knife. Add the tofu tray after the broccoli's first 10–15 minutes so both finish together — the tofu wants 25–30 minutes total, turned once halfway, until deeply mahogany and crisp on every face.
6. Pull both trays. Taste a floret and a cube — adjust now, not at the table. If the broccoli needs a lift, a small splash of rice vinegar or a squeeze of lime over the tray wakes it up; most days the soy and sesame are enough.
7. Divide the steamed rice between four bowls. Pile on the crispy tofu and the charred sesame broccoli, scatter generously with the toasted sesame seeds, and put the sriracha on the table so everyone draws their own heat across the top.