I am sure we have all eaten versions of this dish at Chinese restaurants, with its combination of creamy tofu and slightly spicy sauce.
This is a slightly Japanese version, from Harumi’s cookbook. I find it lighter and more fragrant than the Chinese version, and if you stock Japanese ingredients, a very easy one to pull together for a weeknight dinner. You must use silken or soft tofu to get a good result. Harumi blanches her tofu (apparently that helps to keep it firm, so don’t skip this step).
If you have Japanese Shansho pepper, sprinkle some on at the end whilst serving the dish. It will add a spicy hit, like Schewan pepper in the Chinese version of this recipe.
Prep Time | 15 min |
Cook Time | 10 min |
Servings |
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- 1 1/4 cups dashi stock Fine to use one made with dashi granules
- 1/4 cup Kikkoman soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 3 cloves garlic cloves grated
- 1" piece fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 3-4 spring onions sliced thinly both green and white parts
- 500-600 g soft/silken tofu
- salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 200 g ground meat usually a mix of pork and beef
- 1/2 red pepper cubed, optional
- 1-2 red chilies seeds removed and finely sliced into rings
- 1 tablespoon cornflour mixed into a slurry with 1 tablespoon cold water
Ingredients
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- Combine the dashi, Sorry sauce, sugar, sake, and mirin in a period stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Drain. then cut the tofu into half inch square pieces. Blanch in hot water with a little salt to firm the tofu and drain in a strainer.
- Heat the oil in a deep pan or wok and fry the garlic, ginger, and scallions.
- Add the ground meat and brown. Add the chilli and red pepper and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in the dashi mixture, bring to a boil, and then carefully add the tofu pieces.
- Finally, stir in the cornflour slurry (add a little at a time, you may not need the whole lot) until the sauce thickens. Serve immediately with some steamed rice and veggies.