The sweet-and-sour flavour of this dish is very much associated with China; however, many south-east Asian countries have their own variants. I grew up in northern Thailand, and my mum taught me this recipe, which uses tofu. It has always been one of my favourite dishes to make at home. You can substitute the tofu for meat, such as pork belly, or prawns should you wish.
(Serves 2):
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
¼ red pepper, chopped
¼ green pepper, chopped
4 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
¼ onion, chopped
50g (2oz) fresh pineapple, cut into cubes
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp rice vinegar
½ tsp Chinese rice wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tbsp granulated sugar
250g (8oz) soft tofu, cut into pieces
1 spring onion, chopped
Method
Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat, add the garlic and stir-fry for about 10 seconds until golden brown.
Add the red and green peppers, tomatoes, onion and pineapple, then stir in the tomato ketchup.
Add the rice vinegar, Chinese rice wine, soy sauce and sugar and stir to mix well.
Add the tofu and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Serve topped with the spring onion and steamed white rice.
• From Rosa’s Thai Café: The Cookbook. Saiphin will release her second cookbook, Rosa’s Thai Cafe: The Vegetarian Cookbook, published by Mitchell Beazley on 31 May.
