River Cottage

If it's good enough for a Buddhist monk, it's good enough for Hugh. Sachiko Saeki teaches him how to make a traditional vegan temple meal

Serves 6

• 1 block tofu, drained in a sieve for an hour, then mashed
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 bunch carrots, leaves only
• ½ block konnyaku
• 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• Pinch of sugar
• 1-2 tsp rice vinegar
• Shungiku flowers (optional, see note)

1. Boil the carrot leaves in salted boiling water for 2 minutes, then leave to sit for 10 minutes in the water. Drain, squeeze out all the water and chop into small pieces. Then add to the tofu mix.

2. While the carrot tops are soaking, boil the konnyaku in water for around three minutes, then drain. Rinse in cold water to cool it down, then slice into small pieces. Add this to the tofu mixture.

3. In a pestle and mortar, grind your sesame seeds to a coarse sandy texture, and add them to the tofu mix too.

4. Flavour the mix with the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and shungiku flowers.

Note:

• Shungiku is a kind of chrysanthemum. The flowers and the young stems are edible.