Yam woon sen (vegetarian glass noodle salad)

Step 1: Stir 3 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp gluten-free light soy sauce or tamari, 2 tsp palm sugar or caster sugar, 3 red bird's eye chillies and 2 cloves garlic together in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Taste: it should be punchy and more sour than sweet.

Step 2: Soak 2 ⅞ oz gluten-free mung bean glass noodles in warm water for 10 minutes until pliable, then snip them into roughly 10 cm lengths with scissors.

Step 3: Squeeze ⅛ oz dried wood ear mushrooms, cut away any hard knobs and slice into thin strips. Crumble 5 ½ oz firm tofu into rough pea-sized pieces with your fingers.

Step 4: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the tofu for 4–5 minutes, stirring now and then, until golden and slightly crisp at the edges. Tip it into the dressing bowl.

Step 5: Bring a pot of water to the boil. Drop in the noodles and wood ear for 45–60 seconds, just until the noodles turn clear and springy, then drain well. Overcooked glass noodles go gluey and clump; that is the most common mistake with this salad.

Step 6: Add the hot noodles and wood ear to the bowl straight away and toss so they soak up the dressing. Add 3 Thai shallots, 8 cherry tomatoes, 2 stalks Chinese celery, 1 handful coriander and 1 spring onion and toss again.

Step 7: Taste and add more lime or soy if needed, then pile onto a plate and scatter with 2 tbsp roasted peanuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.