Sweetened tofu is usually offered by roaming vendors selling from metal drums attached like panniers to the pack-racks of their bicycles. In a clever sales strategy, they will often position themselves near schools to tempt hungry children on their way home.

Older ginger will overpower this dish, so make sure you use younger, sweeter roots.

300 g sugar

4 cm knob of young ginger, thinly sliced

juice of 1 mandarin

500 g silken tofu

6 jasmine flowers

Put the sugar and 500 ml of water in a saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the ginger slices and mandarin juice, then simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the tofu into 5 mm thick slices. Remove the saucepan from the heat and gently lower the tofu into the ginger syrup. Add the jasmine flowers and leave for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the tofu to absorb the flavours from the syrup.

Serve the tofu and syrup in six small bowls.