1 packet of tofu, 60g shimeji mushroom
60g daikon (grated white radish)
4 stems asatsuki (or green onions)
deep-frying vegetable oil as needed
potato starch as needed (or cornflour)
2 teaspoons Yoshino-kuzu arrowroot powder (or potato starch or cornflour to thicken the sauce) and 2 teaspoons water
To make the mushroom sauce: Pour 50ml mirin into a saucepan bring to boil and tilt the saucepan to flambe mirin. Be careful not to burn your face or hair! Add 200ml Ichiban dashi (1st dashi) and 50ml soy sauce and shimeji mushrooms and cook for about one minute. Dissolve 2 teaspoons potato starch with 2 teaspoons water. Bring the mushroom sauce to a boil and stir it with a ladle as you pour into the dissolved potato starch. As the sauce is thickened, remove from heat.
1. Cut one tofu into 4 equal parts. Place a cheesecloth on a cutting board and place all cut tofu on it and wrap up with the cheesecloth. Tilt the cutting board to drain excess water for about 10 minutes.
2. Grate daikon, white radish and drain excess water in a sieve. Chop green onions finely.
3. Coat tofu with potato starch and deep fry at 160 degrees Celsius for about 2-3 minutes or until tofu is crisp as you feel tofu with chopsticks. Drain the oil well.
4. Reheat the mushroom sauce and pour the sauce over the deep-fried tofu. Top with grated daikon and finely chopped green onions.
l Momen tofu has less water than kinugoshi tofu. Momen tofu is better for this dish. Kinugoshi tofu has a smooth texture and is nice for hiya-yakko (fresh tofu served chilled topped with chopped green onions, grated ginger and soy sauce.)
Soybean oil, canola oil and sunflower oil can be used for this dish.
Japanese measurements
1 cup is 200ml
1 tablespoon soy sauce is 15ml
1 teaspoon water is 5ml
Braised Pumpkin with Minced Beef
カボチャの牛そぼろ煮 kabocha no gyu-soboro-ni
Ingredients Serves 4
400 Japanese pumpkin
200g minced beef
2nd dashi stock or water as needed
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sake
Mirin as needed
Method
1. Cut the pumpkin into large bite size.
2. Cook the pumpkin and minced beef in second dashi (enough to cover the pumpkin) on high and add sugar, soy sauce and sake. Taste the broth and reduce heat to medium and keep cooking until the broth is almost gone. Taste the pumpkin and pour mirin, if needed.