In toon with spring

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 small sheet pressed bean curd (baiye)

1 tray or 1 punnet toon sprouts (about 100g)

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp mustard powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Shake the toon sprouts loose from their punnet and trim off the roots if they've grown too long. Refresh in cold water.

2. Thinly shred the pressed bean curd sheets. Rinse them and drain well.

3. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the lemon juice, mustard powder and extra virgin olive oil. Whip it up with a fork to emulsify, and add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Pile the bean curd sheets and toon sprouts onto a large platter and toss with the dressing. Serve at once.

FOOD NOTES:

You can vary the dressing by using any acid, such as lime juice, orange juice or light vinegar, with any aromatic oil. One good alternative will be a sesame oil and white vinegar dressing. The toon shoots need no cooking, although you may want to blanch the bean curd sheets in hot water, in the name of food hygiene. If you like, sprinkle walnuts or almonds to add some more crunch.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 box silken tofu

100g Chinese toon leaves

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chicken powder

Sesame oil to taste

Method:

1. Trim off the woody ends of the toon shoots and blanch them in boiling water. Drain immediately and refresh in cold water. (The toon leaves will loose their color immediately and turn bright green.)

2. Line the leaves up and chop them finely. Season with salt, chicken powder and sesame oil. Chill in the fridge.

3. Turn out the chilled silken tofu from its box and place it on a serving platter. Spoon the marinated toon leaves over the tofu. Serve at once.

FOOD NOTES:

There is almost no cooking needed for this dish, but its fresh flavors are a great reminder of spring. Give the toon shoots a good rinse if you've bought them from the market. If you are really squeamish, soak them briefly in slightly salted water to flush out unwanted protein hiding under the leaves. But, the blanching in hot water is more than enough to "cook" the leaves because you still want a bit of crunch and texture. If toon leaves are too wilted, they turn a dirty color.