Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional (14 page)
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Authors: Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner
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BOOK: Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional
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Tofu in a crispy coating is seasoned with teriyaki sauce.
Yield: 4 servings
Coat the tofu slices generously with cornstarch. In a small skillet, heat the oil and fry the tofu slices in it until browned on both sides. Pour out any remaining oil. In the same skillet, combine the soy sauce, mirin, and sweetener, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. Toss the tofu in this sauce to coat, and then remove from the pan. Serve immediately.
Sautéed Tofu Wrapped in Nori1 pound firm tofu
4 sheets nori, preferably not toasted
1 tablespoon oil
3 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
2 to 3 scallions, minced
Cut the tofu into sticks about 1½ to 2 inches long and ½ inch thick. Wrap the tofu in pieces of nori large enough to go around them completely. If the nori is extremely crispy, allow the moisture from the tofu to soften before attempting to wrap.
Heat the oil in a frying pan. Over medium low heat, cook the tofu pieces on all sides until the nori is crispy. Combine the mirin with the soy sauce, and pour over the tofu pieces on individual plates. Top with the ginger and green onions.
Quickly prepared, the nori lends this dish a flavor from the sea.
Yield: 4 servings
Vegetables and Tofu in An Sauce over Rice1 to 2 tablespoons oil for sautéing, or ½ cup water for steam-frying
About 6 cups of chopped or sliced vegetables, such as: cabbage,
nira
(a chive-like vegetable with a garlicky flavor), mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, bok choy, green onions, or zucchini
nira
(a chive-like vegetable with a garlicky flavor), mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, bok choy, green onions, or zucchini
2 cups Konbu Dashi (Konbu, or Konbu-Shiitake Stock), page 54
¾ pound firm silken tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sake
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (optional)
2 to 3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot, or slightly less kuzu, dissolved in 3 to 4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Heat a wok or frying pan until hot. Add the oil or the water, and let it heat for a moment. Add the vegetables, firmer ones first, and saute or steam-fry over high heat until fairly tender. Add the stock, tofu, soy sauce, and sake, and cook until tender. Add the ginger and the dissolved cornstarch, to the pan, stirring until thickened and glossy. Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Serve over large bowls of hot rice.
This is a very loosely constructed recipe, since almost any combination of seasonal vegetables can be served this way with an sauce, a simple glaze sauce thickened with cornstarch, kuzu, or arrowroot. When this is served over rice, it becomes ankake (an poured over something). Very simple to make, this is a one-bowl meal. This recipe is great for using up whatever vegetables you may find around the house. You can use just about any kind of leafy green or nonroot vegetable, except for tomatoes or avocados.
Yield: 4 servings
Fried Tofu Dumplings4 taro roots
8 ounces regular tofu, drained in paper towels for 30 minutes
2 shiitake mushrooms, minced
¼ carrot, minced
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon flour
Flour for coating
Oil for frying
Approximately ¼ cup
daikon-oroshi
(grated daikon radish)
daikon-oroshi
(grated daikon radish)
Soy sauce, to taste
Peel and simmer the taro root until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, place in a bowl, and mash well. Add the tofu, mash, and mix well. Mix in the shiitake, carrot, sea salt, and the 1 tablespoon of flour. Form into little balls the size of ping-pong balls, and coat in more flour. Heat the oil until a little piece of dumpling dropped in rises steadily and quickly to the surface. Fry a few balls at a time until golden brown, turning once or twice. Drain on paper towels. Serve 2 to 4 balls per person, topped with a little grated daikon radish and soy sauce.
These delicately textured and flavored dumplings can be served as is or simmered in dashi (stock) and seasonings.
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Freeze- Dried Tofu1 box (approximately 3.5 ounces)
koya-dofu
(freeze dried tofu)
koya-dofu
(freeze dried tofu)
2 cups
dashi
(stock)
dashi
(stock)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake
Reconstitute the koya dofu by soaking it in tepid water for 10 to 15 minutes. Press each piece between the palms of your hands, squeezing out the water. In a pot, combine the dashi (stock) with the soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Add the
koya dofu
(freeze dried tofu), cover partially, and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, until it turns a light tan color and the flavors have been absorbed. It can be eaten as is, added to udon or soba noodles, or used as an addition to a
nabe
dish.
koya dofu
(freeze dried tofu), cover partially, and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, until it turns a light tan color and the flavors have been absorbed. It can be eaten as is, added to udon or soba noodles, or used as an addition to a
nabe
dish.
These are fun to make and very tasty. Differing in texture from frozen tofu one might make at home, this has a much finer, spongier consistency and absorbs flavors well. Highly versatile, this is the most traditional way of cooking koya dofu.
Yield: 4 servings
Fried Dishes
I
n this age of fat-free consciousness, fried dishes are taboo. However, the Japanese believe that there is a place for them. Of course, the traditional Japanese diet is overall much lower in fat than the American diet. When fried foods are served, they are offered in much smaller quantities—usually two to three morsels to round out a meal, the rest of which would most likely be fat-free. The exception is perhaps tempura, which is by far the most famous fried dish from Japan. Anyone who has enjoyed it prepared well will understand how it can constitute an entire meal. There are others, too, such as
tonkatsu,
or deep-fried pork, and
kushi-age,
deep-fried, breaded skewers of various vegetables, meat, and seafood. Here, however, we will introduce simply a handful of tasty morsels for those who would like a small, albeit rich, addition to their meal.
n this age of fat-free consciousness, fried dishes are taboo. However, the Japanese believe that there is a place for them. Of course, the traditional Japanese diet is overall much lower in fat than the American diet. When fried foods are served, they are offered in much smaller quantities—usually two to three morsels to round out a meal, the rest of which would most likely be fat-free. The exception is perhaps tempura, which is by far the most famous fried dish from Japan. Anyone who has enjoyed it prepared well will understand how it can constitute an entire meal. There are others, too, such as
tonkatsu,
or deep-fried pork, and
kushi-age,
deep-fried, breaded skewers of various vegetables, meat, and seafood. Here, however, we will introduce simply a handful of tasty morsels for those who would like a small, albeit rich, addition to their meal.
Two 3-ounce packages natto
3 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons Japanese hot mustard
2 sheets nori
Oil for frying
Natto is a fermented soybean product towards which people generally have a strong liking or disliking. Whereas people from Kanto, or the Tokyo area, tend to enjoy it, those from Kansai or the Osaka area often do not. It has a strong odor,somewhat reminiscent of limburger cheese, and a sticky, stretchy consistency that many object to. (It forms “threads, ” they say.) I, for
one,
love it, as do my children. Frying it, however, rids it of most of what some consider an objectionable smell and texture, and yields a crispy, tasty product.
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