Set up a large bowl with ice and cold water—this is your ice bath for peeling the tomatoes. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Using a small, sharp knife, score a small “x” at the bottom of each tomato, then add the tomatoes to the boiling water. The skin will wrinkle and split—this should take 1–1 ½ minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the water and drop them straight into the ice bath. Once the tomatoes are cool, lift them out of the water and peel away their skin. Chop the tomato flesh.

Heat a skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of oil, along with the onion and ginger, stir well and cook for 2 minutes, until softened. Add the tomato, then cover, reduce

The heat to medium low and cook for 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of water, then squash the tomato a little to break it up. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with 1–2 teaspoons of sea salt and a dash of white pepper. Using a large spoon, scoop out large chunks of silken tofu and add it to the tomato. Cook for 2–3 minutes, just until the tofu is warmed through.

Serve with rice, topped with the green onion and chili oil, if you like.

Recipe from Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds. © 2023 by Hetty Lui McKinnon. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.