Vegan Crab Roe Tofu 素蟹黄豆腐

At Mid Autumn Festival, when the crabs came to the table, the best part was always the golden roe, rich and savory and gone too fast. This dish is that memory rebuilt from plants: pumpkin and carrot cooked into a sauce the exact color of crab roe, poured over silken tofu, finished with ginger and a drop of black vinegar, the same two things crab is always eaten with. It tastes like the festival. It comes together in twenty minutes. It is the recipe I am proudest of, and it asks nothing of any crab.

Ingredients (serves 2 to 3)

1 block silken tofu (about 14 ounces) 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned is fine) 1 small carrot, boiled soft and mashed, or 1/3 cup carrot puree 1 tablespoon neutral oil 1 teaspoon grated ginger, plus extra fine shreds to serve 2 tablespoons water or light stock 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar White pepper 1 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar, plus more at the table 1 spring onion, sliced

Steps

1. Slide the tofu into a bowl of hot salted water and let it warm through while you make the sauce, 10 minutes. This keeps it tender and seasons it gently.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pumpkin and carrot and cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes, until glossy and slightly darkened.
3. Add the ginger, water, salt, sugar, and a good pinch of white pepper. Simmer 2 minutes; the sauce should pour like thin custard.
4. Drain the tofu and slide it into a wide serving bowl. Pour the golden sauce over, then shower with the spring onion and ginger shreds.
5. Serve with black vinegar on the side, for dipping spoonfuls the way crab is dipped. Rice underneath is not traditional and is absolutely correct.