Sichuan tofu rice with chili dipping sauce

Pick over 500 g of dried soybeans for blackened or mouldy beans, rinse thoroughly, cover with water a couple of inches above and soak in the fridge overnight.

Take 30 g of chilies, remove any large stems, and reconstitute in hot boiled water about an hour until soft and pliable.

Strain and pound in a large mortar 5 to 10 minutes until pasty.

Add five tablespoons of Sichuan chili bean paste and half a teaspoon of salt and pound another five minutes.

Put half a cup of oil in a cool wok or cast iron pot, add the chili paste with the heat still off, then turn the flame to medium low.

Fry the paste until dry, keeping it moving so it does not burn. After about ten minutes the chilies deepen in colour; keep going until the oil absorbs, the chilies dry and crisp, and they sound like packing sand when stirred.

Grind the fennel seed, white cardamom pods, star anise, sand ginger and white pepper into a powder.

Heat another half cup of soybean or peanut oil to smoke point, wait a minute or two until it is down to about 185 celsius, then toss in the spices.

Add the spice oil to the chili paste, mix, box it up and leave at least overnight. Traditionally whole spices are soaked in cool oil for four or five days instead.

Strain the soaked soybeans and blend with water at 8 parts water to 1 part soybean, 4 litres in all, in three batches, four minutes each on high or the smoothie setting.

Transfer to a large wok or stockpot and bring to 100 celsius over high heat, using a thermometer because soy milk looks like it is boiling when it is only frothing. Soybeans contain lectins which cause food poisoning if not cooked out.

Swap the flame down to medium high and cook 15 minutes, skimming the foam or ladling soy milk over it to stop it overflowing.

Strain through a tofu bag or cheese cloth, twist the bag up and squeeze every last drop, pressing about three minutes.

For the coagulant, mix 10 g of nigari with 20 g of water in a non-reactive bowl.

Bring the soy milk back to 90 celsius - the optimal range for nigari is 85 to 90 - then shut off the heat.

Spoon in the nigari mixture five grams at a time with a quick stir, three times, then two grams at a time spread over the surface once you feel resistance. Stop when the soy milk forms popcorn sized solids; 23 grams was used in all.

Where the water is clear that part is ready; pour some of that water over the areas that are not. After a few minutes a spatula should lie on top without sinking.

Place a bamboo basket over the tofu, let it sink in and ladle out some liquid.

Once the basket stops sinking by itself, press down gently - about as much force as you would massage an eyelid with - for about ten minutes more until firm.

Slice the tofu into pieces.

For each serving mix in a little bowl: two teaspoons of the chili sauce, half a teaspoon of minced garlic, sliced scallion, chopped cilantro, a sprinkle of MSG, half a tablespoon of soy sauce, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seed, a couple of drops of mu jiangzi oil and half a teaspoon of salt.

Put the tofu in a bowl, eat it with the sauce and rice, and drink the tofu liquid as a soup.