Yuxiang aubergines with golden tofu and rice

Method

1. Cut the aubergines into 2 × 6 cm batons, leaving the skin on, toss in a colander with 4 g salt and leave over the sink for 20 minutes: moisture beads on the surface and they soften. Wrap the tofu block in a clean tea towel and place under a plate weighted with a tin for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the garlic and ginger, thinly slice the spring onions, keeping whites and greens separate, and mix 120 g water, 5 g cornflour, both soya sauces, the sugar and 20 g black vinegar in a bowl.
2. Rinse the rice until the water is almost clear, put in the saucepan with 270 g water and bring to the boil. Cover and cook over a very low heat for 12 minutes, then rest off the heat for 10 minutes and keep covered until serving.
3. Cut the pressed tofu into 2 cm cubes, pat dry, sprinkle with 1 g salt and coat in 5 g cornflour. Heat 15 g oil in the sauté pan over a medium-high heat, add the dry cubes in a single layer and leave untouched for 2 minutes. Turn only when they release by themselves, with the underside golden and crisp. Brown 3 or 4 sides in this way, for 6–8 minutes in total, then set aside on a plate.
4. Squeeze handfuls of the aubergine batons in a clean tea towel to remove water, without rinsing them. Heat 25 g oil in the sauté pan over a high heat until it shimmers. Spread out half the aubergines and sear for 5–6 minutes, turning only two or three times: the skin should glisten, the cut sides turn golden and the flesh become translucent. Set aside in a dish and cook the second half in the same way with 25 g oil.
5. Return the first batch to the sauté pan, pour 30 g water around the edge, cover and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes: a knife tip should slide in without resistance and the flesh should be meltingly soft. Transfer the aubergines to the dish.
6. In the same sauté pan over a medium heat, heat 5 g oil, add the chilli paste and stir for 30 seconds until the oil turns red. Add the spring onion whites, garlic and ginger and stir for 45 seconds: the mixture should smell fragrant without blackening. Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate for 20 seconds. Stir the sauce in its bowl, as the cornflour settles, pour into the pan and bubble for 1 minute, until glossy and coating a spoon.
7. Return the aubergines and turn gently over a medium heat for 2 minutes so they absorb the sauce without breaking up. Taste: the sauce should be distinctly salty, sweet and sour, as the rice is not; adjust with the final gram of salt if needed. Add the tofu and turn for 30 seconds, just to coat it, so it keeps its crust.
8. Off the heat, add the reserved 10 g vinegar. Transfer to a deep serving dish and scatter over the spring onion greens. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve in bowls for everyone to help themselves. The acidity should remain noticeable behind the aubergines' sweetness.