O ne of the pitfalls of being an avid home cook is that you end up with a hodgepodge of half-used spices and condiments from various world food stores. It can lead to some interesting culinary experiments – tarragon finding its way into an Indian curry, say, or tahini into a French omelette. It’s in that spirit of experimentation that today’s dish was born: ingredients I’d originally bought for making mapo tofu somehow ended up in our Sunday lasagne.
The essential flavour here is doubanjiang , or Pixian chilli bean paste, an intensely umami fermented broad bean paste that you’ll find in Chinese shops. Sichuan-inspired lasagne with chard Prep 25 min Cook 3 hr Serves 6 For the bechamel 10 fresh bay leaves 2 tsp black peppercorns 2 tsp sichuan peppercorns 6 star anise 900ml whole milk 60g butter 60g plain flour For the meat sauce 1kg pork mince 3 tbsp fermented black soybeans 400g tin chopped tomatoes 1⁄2 tsp chilli powder 100g tomato puree 200g Pixian chilli bean paste 5 garlic cloves , peeled and finely chopped (25g net) 5cm piece root ginger , peeled and finely chopped (25g) 250ml whole milk To assemble 1 bunch spring onions , trimmed and cut into 1cm pieces 2 tsp vegetable oil 9 dried lasagne sheets (or more, depending on the size of your dish) 100g grated parmesan 300g mozzarella , sliced For the chard 2 garlic cloves , peeled and finely sliced 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 large bunch chard , stalks and leaves separated, both roughly chopped 1 tbsp dark soy sauce 2 tb.