Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Comfort Japanese Dish... Simmered Beef and Tofu


Simple good home cooking is what it's all about this week. Being inundated with all that junky food last week on our family trip made me crave healthy, comfort Asian dishes. This one in particular easily came to mind.... this satisfying recipe features a richly flavoured beef and onion topping nestled in soft tofu with earthy shiitake mushrooms. The delicious light sweet and savoury sauce combining sugar, sake and mirin is a definitive characteristic of home-style Japanese cuisine. Served over hot rice, the beautiful flavours is soaked up and instantly becomes more irresistible and full-filling with each bite. My kids love it and I'm sure yours will too.

Simmered Beef and Tofu
Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 pkg. (454 g) soft tofu (I used 700 g yielding more tofu), cut into two bite-size pieces
250 g thinly sliced beef or frozen beef slices (see below)
1 medium onion, sliced
2 green onions, cut into two-inch pieces
5 fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms (if dried, hydrate in water to cover for at least 1 hour), sliced
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cooking sake or Chinese cooking wine
1 Tbsp. mirin sweet cooking sake
3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. canola oil


Frozen beef slices prepared especially for hot potting are perfect to use at your whim.
Take out what you need, thaw for a few minutes, unroll and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Mix sugar, sake/cooking wine, mirin, soy sauce and salt in a bowl. Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium heat. Sauté the onions until translucent about two minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for one minute. Add the beef and fry until they turn white.  Then add the tofu to cook for one minute. Pour the simmering liquid over the ingredients in a circular motion to let them season thoroughly and cover lid to simmer for a few minutes more.



Succulent beef and pillowy tofu delights!






My sweet kids lapped up the dish piled high onto their bowl of rice asking for more tofu, thus the reason I need to add more. Tofu is high in protein and calcium, and a direct substitute for meat. It absorbs surrounding flavours like a sponge so don't be put off by its initial blandness. Marinades and spices are perfect to use. Try tofu cubed in soup such as classic Chinese hot and sour soup. Have fun experimenting!












2 comments:

  1. just made the "comfort Japaness food the beef with tofu" I loved it and the girls loved too. it reminds me of when i was little i lived in Japan with my mom for a few years. Her friend made it for us once, and now my girls are eating the same comfort food and they enjoyed it. awesome! :)

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  2. This is really comfort food at its best! So happy to hear that this recipe conjures beloved food memories from your childhood...

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