MAPO LASAGNA

Heat that builds slowly and doesn't apologise, layered between pasta sheets that give way under a fork.

• Grain-fed minced beef, browned hard in the pan.
• Silken tofu, folded in for a soft, custardy set.
• Doubanjiang, fermented chilli bean paste, deeply savoury.
• Ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella, melted through.
• Sichuan pepper, ground fresh, numbing and bright.

This is lasagna built like mapo tofu — the same fermented chilli and numbing pepper backbone, the same silken softness against something rich, only here it's stacked and baked until the edges catch. The beef goes in first, the tofu last, so the layers stay distinct rather than turning to mush. It's a marriage of two kitchens that shouldn't work and does.

Contains: gluten, dairy, soy (allergens inferred, not declared by the kitchen).