Category: Eating

It’s been a tough virus year for me. And it’s only the 26th day. Bah.
(Note: I know I’m not alone, and there are whole cities in China right now with harder roads than mine. My heart goes out to all of those individuals. I wish you healing and speedy recovery. )

I have a love/hate relationship with soup, and I love it most when I don’t feel well. When the throat is dry and rough from coughing or sore and aching, there isn’t much better than soup. And while I agree that a good bowl of chicken noodle or matzo ball does the heart right. There are lots of other options out there.

I found one while perusing the menus of 2020 #cook90 at epicurious.com. Based on the book by @davidtamarkin , this is the 5th year that they have put together a menu plan with shopping guide and recipes and fun theme to cook 30 days at home – 3 meals a day. For some reason, this year, I found it more comprehensive and fun – perhaps because they are using a sustainability twist (Be still my heart!). You can get the book by clicking these words. I’ve been saving the recipes from epicurious.com for the right time, and boy, was this the weekend for it.

I made Crispy Tofu in Shiitake Broth – which is basically a Japanese dashi broth with vegetables.

I have a deep well of love place in my heart for Japanese cuisine. I’m not sure if it stems from my childhood or young adult experiences or something else, but there is something truly comforting about Japanese food. It is a go-to cuisine for me when I feel unwell physically, mentally and spiritually.

And, I don’t mean your average sushi joint (though a good dose of wasabi can clear out the sinuses!). I mean a place that manages a sense of place – in Japan, this is called Washoku.

Menu items like nigiri (raw fish on seasoned rice) and tempura have a place there, but so do battered fried pork and beef (Tonkatsu), curries, and so does Dashi.

Dashi seems mysterious to many I meet but the basic recipe makes it one of the simplest broths around. Clean, filtered water, some dried seaweed, and some umami – either in the form of dried fish (bonito flakes) or mushrooms. Heat together, let it sit for a while, strain and then it’s ready to use or freeze for later.

This recipe has lots of lovely pieces to it, including the teriyaki-like marinade for the tofu, but, of course, being me, I had to add my own take, so here is my adapted recipe and notes.

Crispy Tofu in Shiitake Broth 
adapted from Andy Baraghani as part of Epicurious Cook90 2020

Time needed before serving:  3 hrs including draining tofu, about 45 minutes active.

Makes 4 servings
(NOTE: you can definitely half this to serve, but make the full bit of dashi and freeze it or use it in 2 to 3 days)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (12-ounce) package firm tofu (we prefer organic sprouted), drained – see below
• 1/4 c soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
• 1 T brown sugar
• 8 cups water, preferably room temperature filtered
• 2  pieces dried kombu seaweed each approximately 4-inch by 3-inch
• 1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
• 3 scallions
• 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, rinsed, patted dry
• 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 T vegetable oil (we prefer sunflower)
• Salt
• 4 baby bok choy (about 12 ounces total), halved lengthwise
• 2 medium carrots, halved and quartered into sticks
• 1 medium radish, trimmed, thinly sliced into rounds
• Fresh sprouts (optional)
• Toasted sesame oil (for garnish)

EQUIPMENT

• 9 x 13 baking pan
• Paper towels
• Cutting board
• Your favorite sharp knife
• Large skillet, preferably non-stick
• 2-cup (or larger) liquid measuring cup
• Large pot (can hold 4 gallons or more)
• Slotted turner (like this)
• Ladle

1. *Drain the tofu: Slice the tofu into the shape you want, for this recipe we prefer squares. Place the tofu on top of two folded paper towels on a baking sheet. Put another two paper towels on top and then place a cutting board on top of that. Weight the tofu down with the 9 x 13 baking dish you will be using below. Check the process in one hour and replace paper towels if necessary, flipping the tofu. Let it sit a second hour before using it below.
2. Mix 1/4 cup soy sauce and brown sugar in the 9 x 13 baking dish holding down the tofu. Place tofu in the baking dish and flip with a turner to coat. Let sit on each side for 10 minutes.
3. While tofu is marinating, prepare your garlic and ginger as noted above. Remove green tops from scallions and slice thinly; set aside for garnish. Coarsely chop the white parts.
4. Put 8 cups of water into the pot. Add whole mushrooms, kombu, sliced ginger, and peeled garlic. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard kombu. Let the dashi sit for 20 minutes to infuse flavors, then scoop out scallions, mushrooms, ginger, and garlic, if you desire.**
5. Heat vegetable oil in the skillet, over medium-high heat. Make sure the oil is at least 1/4″ deep in the pan. When oil is hot (and I mean HOT), add the slices of tofu, working in batches if needed, and do not touch, flip or move. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, flip and repeat. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season with salt.
6. While the tofu is cooking, bring dashi to a full boil. Add carrots, then bok choy and carrots and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.
7. Ladle soup into bowls. Add tofu, sliced radish, and reserved scallion tops; drizzle lightly with sesame oil.

Feel free to mix it up!  I added some leftover fresh pappardelle we had to make this a bit heartier.

Using the leftovers:

** I personally leave this all in and take out the mushrooms. The fresh mushrooms can be sliced and added back in. The dried ones usually have enough flavor left that I slice them into quarters and use them again in another dashi or some vegetable stock within a day or two.

I highly recommend you use the leftover kombo to make a salad called tsukudani (This is a link to a recipe on Spruce Eats for your reference. I have not used that specific recipe.)

The extra dashi without veg can be frozen for up to 3 months or kept in fridge for 3 days. The soup will last about 3 days as well and can be easily reheated in a pot on the stove.

Final Result: