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Tofu with Mushroom Sauce


It was a Japanese night for us. Not intentionally, though. I didn't know what to cook and we definitely didn't want to have ham again for the nth time in a row (leftover from Christmas dinner, mind you!). So I looked in the fridge and saw a block of tofu and a few pieces of mushroom. Easy. Stir Fry. But I saw a great recipe online that would make use of other "stuff" I had in my pantry. And by "stuff" I mean ingredients we rarely use and I only remember when I clean out the pantry. So I decided to try it.

Of course, I had to tweak it and use whatever I had (I wasn't in the mood for a quick run to the grocery store). I am pleased to say that it turned out great. No - it was awesome! The combination of flavors went very well together. In fact, when we ran out of fried tofu, hubby got some rice and mixed the sauce with it.

On a humorous note, I used powdered dashi mix, and I had to guess the ratio of water to powder mix because the instructions were in Japanese! There was a note on the front of the box that said "directions on the back panel," but lo and behold - they were written in Japanese. Hahaha. It did say 2 teaspoons (or whatever) of powder mix, but how much water? I had to go by taste.

Click for larger image

Ummm...

As with the edamame, it was also by chance that I saw a bag of them in the freezer. Well, what could go well with a block of soy but... more soy! But seriously, if you haven't had edamame, you are missing out! They taste so good - like peanuts, only better. They are also chockful of nutrients. 

So there you go. Our Japanese dinner. And as Kevin Brauch would say, "Konbanwa!"


What you need: 

1 block of tofu
6 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon dashi mix
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1/8 cup of shaved carrots
2 tablespoons Vidalia onion, minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
Canola oil for deep frying


What to do:


Drain tofu and wrap in several layers of paper towel to absorb extra water. Set aside.

In a small saucier over medium-high heat, combine water, dashi mix, mirin and soy sauce. Bring to a soft boil, then add carrots, onions and sliced mushrooms. When it starts boiling again, pour in the cornstarch-water mixture and stir. Lower heat to a simmer and continue cooking for about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the drained tofu into 1 inch cubes and deep fry in hot oil until lightly browned. Place fried tofu in a serving platter and generously drizzle with mushroom sauce.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. Firm tofu works best in this dish.
2. Original recipe called for katakuriko (potato starch). I used corn starch.
3. Hubby suggested adding more veggies like baby corn and water chestnuts for texture.
4. I used shaved carrots because I didn't feel like cutting it very thin with a knife.


Happy New Year!

3 comments:

peachkins said...

Happy New Year,J!

anney said...

Ako din sawa na sa ham sabi ko kay sis ayoko ng ham sa new year. hehehe! tira tira din nung pasko. Happy New year sa inyo dyan! Ipo post ni sis sa food blog nya yung mga recipe.Sige sabihin ko isunod na nya yung wonton pizza bitesi post.

Guia Obsum said...

This looks yummy! I usually go for the fish tofu in oyster sauce. Let me try this. :)

 
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