Japanese-Style Mapo Tofu

Start by making the sauce. Place all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, mix well and set aside.

Cut the tofu into 2cm cubes, place in a pan of boiling water over a medium heat, and when the cubes come up to the surface, remove them from the pan and drain over a colander for a few minutes. This will prevent the tofu from breaking up as it stir-fries.

When you're ready to cook, heat the sunflower oil in a wok until smoking hot, add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir-fry for a few seconds until fragrant but not burnt. Add the pork and cook, stirring constantly, until it is no longer pink.

Add the bamboo shoots, if using, and stir-fry for another minute, then add the sauce and cook on a gentle heat for about three minutes, stirring from time to time. Finally add the tofu, gently mixing, and let it warm through for a couple of minutes.

Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with the sesame seed oil, and scatter over the spring onions, white sesame seeds and shichimi pepper or hot chilli (dried red pepper) flakes. Serve immediately.